Iowa Lakes Softball Drops Two

Iowa Lakes Community College softball team took two losses to conference foe, Ellsworth Community College. Bibiana Rosales took the 12-11 loss in game one and the 13-6 loss in game two. The Lakers are now 9-13 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Game One: ECC 12, ILCC 11

Iowa Lakes took the lead in the second inning when Kacie Salazar led off the inning with a double. Kaitlin Walsh was hit by a pitch and both runners advanced on a Laurie Custard sacrifice out. Montanna Popp walked to load the bases, before the Panthers walked Kenlee Frank to bring in the first run of the game. Lexi Pallisco then doubled to right field two score two more runs. Julia Sullwold then hit a single to score Frank and give the Lakers a 4-0 lead. Ellsworth quickly countered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second.

Leilani San Pedro started the Lakers scoring again in the top of the third with a leadoff single. Salazar then doubled before Walsh walked to load the bases. Custard followed with a ball to the shortstop that scored San Pedro. Popp drove a ball up the middle to score both Salazar and Walsh and the Lakers were up again 7-3. Again, Ellsworth pushed back by scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Ellsworth took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth when they scored three runs on two hits and two walks.

The Lakers were not done yet though, as they scored again in the top of the fifth. Walsh doubled to right before Custard was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, before Walsh scored on a Panther error. Frank drew her second walk of the day to load the bases before Pallisco walked to score Custard. Sullwold  pushed the Lakers tenth run across the plate with a groundout to the second baseman to score Popp.

Custard scored the Lakers final run of the game on a solo homerun in the top of the sixth to give the Lakers an 11-8 lead. Iowa Lakes gave up four runs in the bottom of the sixth on one error, two hits, and one hit by pitch to complete the 12-11 win.

Bibiana Rosales took the loss for the Lakers. She pitched two innings, giving up four runs, one earned, on two hits, while striking out five. Yasmine Nix pitched four innings, allowing eight runs, one earned on six hits, four walks, and striking out two. Kacie Salazar led the Lakers at the plate, going 2-4 with two runs score. Lexi Pallisco was 1-2 with three runs batted in and two walks.

Game Two: ECC 13, ILCC 6

Game two did not start off too great for the Lakers. They went down 1, 2, 3 in the top of the first and then allowed six runs in the bottom of the inning. They did this on two hits, one Laker error, and four walks.

Salazar got the Lakers on the board with a homerun in the top of the second, but the Panthers scored again in the bottom of the inning. They scored four runs on five hits and one Laker error.

Pallisco drove a one out single up the middle to start things for the Lakers in the third. Sullwold walked before Lopez singled to bring up San Pedro. San Pedro hit a grand slam over the centerfield fence to bring the Lakers within five.

Down 10-5, Gabby Heckard helped the Lakers get a little closer with a leadoff homerun in the fourth.

The Panthers scored another three runs in the bottom of the fifth on three hits and one walk to put the game out of reach for the Lakers. Julia Sullwold took the loss for the Lakers. She allowed five runs, one earned on five hits and one walk. Bibiana Rosales allowed five runs, four earned, on two hits and three walks. Naomi Tolmachoff allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

Kacie Salazar was 2-4 with a homerun, one run scored, and one run batted in. Leilani San Pedro was 1-4 with a grand slam, one run, and four runs batted in. Gabby Heckard also homered for the Lakers.

The Lakers will next take on North Iowa Area Community College on Monday, April 2nd, at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM in the Austin Dome in Austin, Minnesota.