The Iowa Lakes Community College Softball team took their first two conference wins today against Hawkeye Community College. The final scores of the games were 2-0 and 8-1. These wins bring the Lakers to 22-11 overall on the season and 2-2 in conference play.
GAME 1: 2 (ILCC), 0 (HCC)
The Lakers broke open the game early, starting with a two-out single from Korilynn Christians. A walk from Taylor Larson put Christians in scoring position as Macy Pickett stepped up to the plate. Pickett delivered with a line drive into left field, allowing Christians to scurry home. Alexis Cullinane ripped a line drive over the third baseman to score Larson from second, quickly putting the Lakers up 2-0. Pickett had a strong bottom of the first in the circle, allowing a single while striking out two.
Kaitlyn DuChateau took a two-out walk in the top of the second, but that would be the only action for the Lakers on offense. Pickett shut down the Redtails in the bottom of the second, striking out two more and forcing a fly out.
The bottom of the third saw two runners for the Redtails, starting with a leadoff walk, but Pickett shut down the next two. A Lakers error put runners on first and third, but they were able to work out without allowing a run to cross.
The next hit for the Lakers came in the fifth when Marrissa Miller drove a two-out line drive to left, but she would be left on base. In the top of the sixth, the Lakers put heavy pressure on Hawkeye, loading the bases with a leadoff double from Larson, a walk from Pickett, and a single from Alexis Cullinane. Redtail pitching shut down the threat, allowing no Laker to come home.
Defense remained strong for the Lakers in the bottom of the sixth, turning a double play to end the inning.
DuChateau started the top of the seventh strong with a leadoff double. She would advance by tagging up on a deep flyball to center field from Miller. Despite the pressure of her at third, the Redtails were able to shut down the Lakers for the final time. Pickett quieted the Redtails, striking out two in the bottom of the seventh and forcing a line out to end the game.
Macy Pickett led the offense for the Lakers, going 1-2 at the plate with one RBI and a walk. Five other Lakers had hits in the game, with Larson and Christians being the only two who were able to score. Pickett threw the seven-inning shut-out, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out eight. This win brings her to a 9-5 record on the season.
GAME 2: 8 (ILCC), 1 (HCC)
DuChateau started the Lakers off hot with a leadoff single, and she would later steal second. A ground ball would allow DuChateau to advance to third with two outs, but the Redtails were able to neutralize the Lakers' threat by forcing a pop-out for the third out of the inning. Larson took the circle in game two and started strong. She allowed one double but struck out three to retire the side.
The top of the second saw a single from Pickett. She stole second to put herself in scoring position, and a single from Karlee Akers allowed the Lakers to take a 1-0 lead. Larson shut down the side, striking out one while forcing the other two into ground outs.
Myla Murphy led off the top of the third with an infield single, and a line drive up the middle from DuChateau allowed Murphy to speed around the bases for the second Lakers' run of the game. Larson took a two-out walk, and Pickett ripped a ground ball past the third baseman, allowing DuChateau to scamper home. The Redtails took advantage of two Laker errors in the bottom of the third to score one and cut the deficit to two runs.
Akers reached on a leadoff Hawkeye error, and Brooklyn Bode would drive a single to center to put two runners on. The Lakers were unable to push the run across as the next three would be sat down by Redtail pitching. Larson and the Laker defense stayed strong in their half, tallying another double play and striking out one.
The top of the fifth saw a leadoff single from Christians. Larson came up big for the offense, driving her fifteenth home run of the season over the fence in left-center, extending the Lakers' lead to 5-1. The Laker defense was on fire, turning their third double play of the day to end the fifth inning and allow no Redtails across.
Bode's bat stayed hot in the top of the sixth, leading off with a double to center. Murphy took a walk, and both runners stole the next 60 feet. A sacrifice fly allowed Bode to scurry home and Murphy to advance to third. Christians came up big with a two-out double to center that allowed Murphy to trot home. Larson stood her ground in the circle, forcing two ground outs and striking out the last batter in the sixth.
Akers had a two-out single to start the fight back up in the seventh and Bode followed with a single of her own. Murphy's speed earned her an infield single, and a thrown-away ball allowed Akers to scamper home. This would allow the Lakers to extend their lead to seven runs going into the bottom of the seventh. Larson shut down Hawkeye, allowing one single who would be stranded on first.
Brooklyn Bode and Myla Murphy led the offense for the Lakers, going 3-4 and 2-3, respectively. Larson added another home run to her stat line while adding two RBIs as well. Christians and Akers both went 2-4, each adding a run and an RBI to the Lakers' stats. Taylor Larson threw the win for the Lakers, going 7.0 innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six.
The Lakers return home for their game on Wednesday, April 2nd, against North Iowa Area Community College. The games are scheduled to take place at 2 & 4 pm.