The Iowa Lakes Softball Team split with Southwestern Community College on Day two of their four game series. The Lakers took game won with a final score of 9-5 and lost game two 8-9. Iowa Lakes has moved to 7-9 on the season and 7-7 in conference play.

Game One: ILCC 9, SWCC 5

Lexi Chase started off the first inning with a double. Using the early momentum, Kailey Maksim stepped up and hit one over the fence to give the Lakers an early 2-0 lead.

Holding the Spartans in the first inning, the Lakers took advantage in inning two. Mackenna Otte stepped up and singled to center. Kiley Hill then advanced Otte to third on a single to the right side. Otte scored on a passed ball while Chase was up to bat. Chase then singled to left scoring Hill, making the game 4-0. The Spartans remained scoreless after the second inning striking out three times to end the inning.

The Lakers went scoreless in the third inning, and the Spartans put themselves on the board scoring on two solo homeruns making it 4-2 going into the fourth.

The Lakers struck back in the fourth inning. Chase drew a walk, and Maksim kept her hot bat going with another homerun over the left field fence. The lakers held Southwestern in the bottom of the fourth inning, staying ahead 6-2.

Southwestern kept fighting back in the fifth, making the score 6-4, but Iowa Lakes was not content with a two-run lead. In the top of the sixth, Otte and Hill singled, and Amanda Franke walked to load the bases. Otte took advantage of a misplayed Spartan pickoff and scored for the Lakers, then Hill and Franke crossed the plate from a double hit by Eliya Johnson down the right field line giving the Lakers a 9-4 lead going into the bottom of the sixth.

Leading 9-4 going into the bottom seventh inning, Iowa Lakes shut down the Spartan offense. They allowed only one more run to cross the plate off a sacrifice fly, and ending the game on a strikeout by Chase, giving the Lakers a 9-5 win.

Maksim helped the Lakers by going 2-4 with two homeruns, four runs batted in, and two runs scored. Chase and Hill both went 2-3 with a walked, and Johnson had two runs batted in. In the circle, Chase picked up the complete game win pitching seven innings, giving up nine hits, five runs, four earned, and eleven strikeouts.

Game Two: ILCC 8, SWCC 9

Chase started game two off again by hitting a double, and Maksim got on by a walk. Advancing to second and third off a ground ball from Kaitlin Roundy, both runners scored off a double from Kamryn Buntrock. Buntrock then crossed the plate herself after a single to the catcher from Otte. The bases were then loaded after Myah Ehlenfeldt hit a single to the right side and Hill walked. Franke stepped up to the plate and walked, giving the Lakers a 4-0 lead. The Spartans struck back in the bottom of the first scoring two runs to make the Laker lead 4-2.

The Lakers scored another in the second inning after a single from Maksim and Johnson, a Spartan error, and a sacrifice fly from the bat of Otte gave the Lakers a 5-2 lead.

The bats were quiet again until the bottom of the third when Southwestern scored six runs with two outs. The runs came from three walks and four hits, giving the Spartans an 8-5 lead.

Leading off the top of the fourth, Maksim was hit by a pitch and scored from a double off the bat of Johnson. The Spartans scored one more in the bottom of the fourth off a Laker error, two singles, and a sacrifice fly, but the Lakers shut down the Spartan offense before they can score anymore, ending the inning down 9-6.

The Lakers closed the gap to one run in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Chase doubled, Maksim walked, and then hitting a single, Johnson scored Chase and moved Maksim to third. Roundy then hit an infield single scoring Maksim, which made the score a close 9-8. The Lakers defense shut down the Spartans in the bottom of the fifth.

The Lakers came up short the last few innings unable to cross the plate one more time. The final score was 9-8. At the plate, the Lakers were led by Johnson who went 3-5 with two runs batted in. Roundy and Chase, both went 2-5 scoring one themselves, and Otte went 1-3 with two runs batted in and one run scored. Buntrock also added a hit, a run scored, and two runs batted in. Johnson took the loss in the circle, giving up seven runs, seven earned, on seven hits and five walks in 2.2 innings.

The Lakers are back in town playing Iowa Central at home on Wednesday, April 7th at 2 & 4 PM.

Photo ID: Photo of Kailey Maksim hitting attached.

MEDIA: For more information, please contact Head Softball Coach, Katie King at (712) 362-8367 or the Iowa Lakes sports information office at (712) 362-7928.