ST. CHARLES, Mo. --The Lindenwood softball team (11-17) picked up a pair of wins on Tuesday over Evansville (15-16), as the Lions took game one by a margin of 7-6 in eight innings, before winning the second game by a score of 4-3 at Lou Brock Sports Complex.
GAME 1 | Lindenwood 7, Evansville 6
The Lions needed eight innings to get the job done, but earned the 7-6 extra-innings win, walking it off on a single off the bat of sophomore Irelynn West to claim victory over the Evansville Purple Aces in the first game of the day.
Freshman Avery Wapp (2-4) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Lindenwood. The right-hander went four innings, giving up one run on two hits, allowing two walks and striking out five.
West led the way offensively for the Lions, going 1-for-3 in the ballgame with two walks and three RBI. Freshman Tori Hatton put together a noteworthy performance at the plate as well, going 1-for-1 with two walks and an RBI. Sophomore Mya Bethany also helped out, going 0-for-2 for Lindenwood with two walks and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 5-0, the Lions first put runs on the board in the fifth inning. Lindenwood's offense had a good inning, putting three runs on the scoreboard.
The Purple Aces expanded their lead to 6-3 before the Lions offense got back to work, tying it up in the sixth. Lindenwood's offense had a good inning, putting three runs on the scoreboard, which brought the score level at 6-6.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth, when Lindenwood walked it off on an RBI single off the bat of West.
GAME NOTES
» Wapp struck out five Purple Aces hitters.
» Lindenwood's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Lindenwood pitchers limited Evansville to just 2-for-11 (.182) with runners in scoring position.
» Lindenwood pitchers faced 43 Evansville hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Lions drew nine walks from Evansville pitching.
» West led the Lions at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
» Evansville was led offensively by junior J. Nink, who went 2-for-2 with two triples and two RBI.
» Junior M. Jolly led the Purple Aces pitching staff, throwing three shutout innings.
GAME 2 | Lindenwood 4, Evansville 3
Senior Keighlan Cronin was dominant on Tuesday, striking out 13 Evansville hitters over seven innings of work to help lead the Lions past the Purple Aces 4-3.
In addition to her 13 strikeouts, Cronin (3-6) went seven innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on five hits and walking three for Lindenwood.
Offensively, the Lions were paced by West, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a walk and an RBI. Bethany compiled a standout performance as well, going 1-for-2 with a double. Hatton also contributed for Lindenwood, putting together zero hits in one trip to the plate while adding two RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lions got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Bethany came across to score the lone run of the inning for Lindenwood and get them on the board.
The Purple Aces then rallied to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead before the Lions got back on the board in the fifth. which brought the score to 4-3 in favor of the Lions. The score remained 4-3 for the rest of the game, as Lindenwood held on for the win.
GAME NOTES
» Cronin struck out 13 Purple Aces hitters.
» Lindenwood's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Lindenwood pitchers faced 28 Evansville hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and four fly balls while striking out 13.
» West led the Lions at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
» Evansville was led offensively by freshman J. Willsey, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
» Junior M. Brenton led the Purple Aces pitching staff, throwing four innings of one-run ball.
UP NEXT
Lindenwood will head to Morehead, Ky. on Saturday to start at three-game series with Morehead State beginning at 12:00 p.m.
