The Iowa Lakes Softball team broke the 2016 team homerun record in their sweep over Dakota County Technical College. Thus far, the Lakers have hit for 66 homeruns, breaking the previous record of 65. The Lakers won both games on the day with a score of 11-0. Iowa Lakes is now 32-10-1 overall and 13-7 in conference.
GAME 1: 11 (ILCC), 0 (DCTC)
Iowa Lakes and Dakota County had a good old fashioned pitchers dual, until Amanda Franke and the Lakers got the offense going in the top of the fifth. With Franke on second after a single and stolen base, Alyssa Thorson stepped up to the plate and delivered a single to score the first run of the game. Lexi Chase and Eliya Johnson both walked to load up the bases. MacKenna Jones hit her second double of the game, scoring two and advancing Johnson to third. Mackenna Otte entered the game to run for Jones. Paige Grafton followed suit with a rope to right center, scoring Johnson and Otte to put the Lakers up 6-0. The final run of the inning came when Grafton scored on Allie McCabe's single.
Thorson kept the offense rolling with a one out double in the sixth. Singles by Chase, Karisa Hernandez, Johnson, and Jones put up four more runs for the Lakers. With Iowa Lakes up 11-0, the Blue Knights were down to their last three outs. Johnson got the first batter to strikeout and the second out of the inning to groundout to herself. She then allowed a single, before recording the final out herself on a groundout.
MacKenna Jones led the Lakers at the plate, going 3-4 with three runs batted in. Amanda Franke and Alyssa Thorson each added two hits in the game as well. Eliya Johnson recorded her twelfth win of the season, allowing zero runs on three hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
GAME 2: 11 (ILCC), 0 (DCTC)
Chase began game two with a walk. She then advanced to third on a ground ball off the bat of Johnson. Jones kept her hot hitting going, with a single to score the Lakers first run of the game. Jones then went out and made quick work of Dakota County in the top of the second. She recorded two strikeouts and a groundout to Otte.
McCabe hit the Lakers first long ball of the game to lead off the bottom of the second. Not to be outdone, Chase also hit a solo homerun in the inning to put the Lakers up 3-0. The Laker defense got off the field quickly in the top of the third to keep their offense going. The Blue Knights again struckout two times and grounded out to Hernandez to go down 1, 2, 3.
Jones led off the bottom of the third with a single. Otte again entered the game to run for Jones. She found herself still standing on first base with two outs. McCabe advanced Otte to third on a double up the middle. Franke walked to load up the bases brining up Thorson. She drove a ball over the left center fence for a grand slam. That grand slam was also the ball that broke the previous team homerun record. With the bases cleared and the Lakers up 7-0, the Lakers were not done yet. Chase doubled and came around to score on a Hernandez single for the final run of the inning.
The bottom of the fourth saw Jones start where she had left off with her third double of the day. Otte entered the game to run and scored on a Kaitlin Roundy single. Brielle Hogan then drove a ball to left to advance Roundy to third and put herself at second. Franke hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Roundy and advancing Hogan to third. Thorson followed with a single to score Hogan and put the Lakers up11-0. Jayda Staige entered to finish the game, getting the Blue Knights to go down in order. She recorded two strikeouts and a groundout to Otte.
MacKenna Jones was a perfect 3-3 with one run batted in on the game. Allie McCabe (2-2), Lexi Chase (2-2), and Brielle Hogan (1-1) were all perfect at the plate as well, while Alyssa Thorson recorded five runs batted in. MacKenna Jones earned the win in the circle, allowing zero earned runs. In her four innings of work, Jones allowed one hit and one walk, while striking out five. Jayda Staige pitched one inning, striking out two.
The Lakers will look to finish up their conference schedule with a four game series with North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, Iowa. They will take on the Trojans on Friday, April 29th at 2:00 and 4:00 PM and again on Sunday, May 1st at 2:00 and 4:00 PM.
Photo ID: Picture of MacKenna Jones pitching 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.