The Iowa Lakes Softball team won both games on Saturday against Marshalltown Community College. The Lakers took game one by a score of 7-2 and won game two 7-1. The Lakers are now 22-10-1 overall.
GAME 1: 7 (ILCC), 2 (MCC)
The Tigers were the first team to get on the scoreboard, scoring one run in the bottom of the first on a solo-homerun.
It took the Lakers three innings before they scored, but once they took the lead they never lost it. With two outs, Brielle Bartelt and Amanda Franke both drew walks. Both runners advanced on a passed ball, putting runners in scoring position for Alyssa Thorson. She delivered a single up the middle to score both runners and give the Lakers the lead. Lexi Chase then drove a ball over the left field fence to put the Lakers up 4-1.
Eliya Johnson scored the lone run for the Lakers in the fifth inning with a homerun over the right field fence.
The Lakers were not done offensively though, as they put two more runs up in the top of the seventh. Eliya Johnson was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a double off the bat of MacKenna Jones. Mackenna Otte then entered to run for Jones at second. Paige Grafton hit a ball to the outfield that was misplayed by the Tigers to score Johnson and advance Otte to third. Allison McCabe pushed the final run across the plate on a sacrifice fly. Marshalltown scored one run in the seventh on a homerun.
Lexi Chase picked up her twelfth win of the season. She threw five innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and eight strikeouts. MacKenna Jones threw the final two innings of the game, allowing one earned run on one hit and one walk. Lexi Chase also led the Lakers at the plate, going 2-3 with a walk, two runs batted in, and one run scored. Alyssa Thorson had one hit and two runs batted in.
GAME 2: 7 (ILCC), 1 (MCC)
MacKenna Jones was the Laker to get the offense started in game two. She hit a shot over the left field fence to put the Lakers up 1-0. Paige Grafton and Allie McCabe followed with singles and advanced a base on a Tiger error. Grafton was forced out on a ball off the bat of Bartelt. Amanda Franke then doubled to center, scoring McCabe and advancing Bartelt to third. An Alyssa Thorson infield single loaded up the bases for Lexi Chase. She delivered a single off the fence to score Bartelt. With the bases still loaded, Karisa Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to score Franke and give the Lakers a 4-0 lead.
Eliya Johnson kept Marshalltown off balanced until they got one run in the third on a solo-homerun.
The top of the fourth saw Bartelt double to right center to lead off the inning. Franke then hit her first homerun of the season to put the Lakers up 6-1.
The Lakers scored their final run of the game in the sixth. Chase drew a walk and advanced to second on a Hernandez single. Hernandez was then forced out at second on a ball from Johnson, but allowed Chase to advance to third. Jones drove in her second run of the game on a single to complete the 7-1 victory. Marshalltown loaded the bases on one out in their half of the inning, but Johnson took the first out herself before getting the final batter to groundout to Chase at first.
Eliya Johnson earned the win in the circle for the Lakers. She pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Jayda Staige pitched the final inning of the game, allowed no hits and striking out one. Amanda Franke was the leader for the Lakers at the plate in game two. She was 2-4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Alyssa Thorson, Paige Grafton, and MacKenna Jones each added two hits of their own in the game.
The Lakers take on Marshalltown Community College again tomorrow, April 16th, at 12:00 and 2:00 PM.
Photo ID: Picture of Mackenna Otte fielding 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.