Walk Off Gets Lakers a Split

Iowa Lakes Community College softball team went 1-1 today during their spring break trip to Florida. The Lakers dropped game one to Waubonsee Community College before winning in the bottom of the eighth inning against Onondaga Community College.

Yasmine Nix took the loss in game one. She pitched four innings, allowing six earned runs on twelve hits. Brooklyn Mickelson pitched the final two innings for the Lakers, allowing two earned runs on three hits. Taylor Allen led the Lakers at the plate going 3-4 with  three hits, including one triple. Yasmine Nix was 2-4 with a run scored.

The Lakers started off game two strong, with a leadoff double by Allen. Annjelica Moreno-Englebrecht quickly followed with a single, putting the Lakers out to a quick 1-0 lead. The score remained the same until Onondaga scored four runs in the top of the third on two walks, one hit by pitch, and two Laker errors.

The Lakers tied up the ballgame in the bottom of the fourth, when they scored three runs. Kacie Salazar walked, followed by a Gabby Heckard single. With two outs, Priscilla Lozoya singled to right field, scoring Salazar and advancing Heckard to third. Tianna Soto then reached on an error, which allowed Lozoya to score from first to put the score at 4-4.

Onondaga quickly responded by scoring three runs in the top of the fifth. They scored on two hits and a wild pitch. The Lakers would not stop fighting, as they scored two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth. Mary Kelly used her speed to leadoff the Lakers with an infield single. Allen followed with a single to left to put runners at first and second. An Englebrecht single and Onondaga error allowed Kelly and Allen to both score on the hit. Autumn Phelps sacrificed Englebrecht to second before a Salazar single put the Lakers ahead 7-6.

Two Laker errors in the top of the sixth allowed Onondaga to again take the lead 8-7. The Lakers responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Kelly drove a ball to right field and scampered her way to third base. Allen followed with a ground ball to second base to score Kelly at third.

Neither team scored in the seventh inning, which sent them to extras. The Lakers held Onondaga scoreless in the top of the eighth to give themselves a chance to win in the bottom half of the inning. Playing international, Laurie Custard started at second base. With one out, Nix grounded out to second to advance Custard to third. A Kelly and Allen walk brought up Englebrecht with the bases loaded and two outs. Englebrecht drove the ball to left field to bring home the winning run to complete the Lakers 9-8 win.

Freshman, Lexus Gorospe, got the win for the Lakers. She pitched two innings, allowing no runs and no hits. Brooklyn Mickelson pitched three innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits and Annjelica Moreno-Englebrecht pitched three innings, allowing four runs, zero earned, on one hit and three walks. Offensively, the Lakers were led by Annjelica Moreno-Englebrecht. She was 3-5 with three runs batted in and one run scored. Mary Kelly, Taylor Allen, and Gabby Heckard each added two hits of their own. The Lakers are back in action tomorrow, when they take on Waubonsee Community College and Madison Community College.

Photography by: Cecil Ramsey