The Iowa Lakes Softball team travelled to Mason City, Iowa to take on North Iowa Area Community College. The Lakers started with a 7-3 loss, before bouncing back with a 9-7 win in game two. Iowa Lakes is now 20-10 in the conference and 20-12 overall.

Game One: NIACC 7, ILCC 3

Iowa Lakes led early, scoring two runs in the first. Lexi Chase singled and then stole second to put herself in scoring position with Eliya Johnson up to bat. Johnson delivered with a triple to right center field. Kamryn Buntrock hit a two out single to score Johnson and put the Lakers up 2-0. NIACC quickly got back one run in the bottom of the third on a solo homerun.

The score remained 2-1 until the Trojans hit another solo homerun to tie up the game.

The lead was short lived though, as Iowa Lakes scored one in the fifth. Eliya Johnson was hit by a pitch and then scored from first on a Kaitlin Roundy double. The Trojans rallied again in the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits, including a three-run homerun. NIACC scored the final run of the game in the sixth on back-to-back doubles.

Lexi Chase suffered the loss for the Lakers, allowing seven earned runs on ten hits and a walk. She struck out six Trojan batters. Kamryn Buntrock and Lexi Chase were each 2-3 at the plate.

Game Two: ILCC 9, NIACC 7

In game two, NIACC took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the second inning. They scored two runs on three hits, including a homerun and a wild pitch.

Iowa Lakes took their first lead of the game in the fourth inning. Chase led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a Kailey Maksim homerun. With the bases now empty, Johnson hit a double and advanced to third on a Buntrock single. With two outs, Mackenna Otte singled to center, scoring both runners and giving Iowa Lakes the 4-2 lead. The Trojans got two runs back in the bottom of the inning on two hits and two Laker errors.

Chase did not let the Trojan lead last, as she stepped up in the fifth with a solo homerun. Maksim followed with a double and not to be outdone, Johnson hit a homerun of her own. With Iowa Lakes now up 7-4, the Trojans came out in their half of the inning scoring one run on a solo homerun.

NIACC tied the game up again in the bottom of the sixth, doing all their damage on two outs. With a runner on first and two outs, NIACC doubled down the left field line to score one. That was followed by a single to tie the game up at seven.

With their backs against the wall, the Lakers needed to put up at least one run in the seventh to win. With two outs, Johnson and Roundy both singled. Buntrock was now up to bat with two strikes on her. She delivered a stand up double in the right center gap, scoring both runners and giving Iowa Lakes a two-run lead. The Laker shut down NIACC in order in the bottom of the seventh on three straight ground outs to Maksim, Otte, and Buntrock.

Kamryn Buntrock, Eliya Johnson, and Kailey Maksim were each 2-4 with two runs batted in. Mackenna Otte provided two RBI's and Lexi Chase added two hits for the Lakers. Eliya Johnson picked up her second win of the week, allowing seven runs, six earned, on ten hits and three walks. She struck out four NIACC batters.

The Lakers will travel to take on #7 Kirkwood Community College on the weekend. Game times on Saturday are 1:00 and 3:00 PM and Sunday are 12:00 and 2:00 PM

Photo ID: Photo of 2021 Iowa Lakes Softball infield 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.