Vance pitches Vikings past Kalamazoo

CLERMONT, Fla. — Kara Vance pitched the Lawrence University softball team to a 5-1 nonconference victory over Kalamazoo College on Thursday at the National Training Center.

Vance went the distance, allowed only five hits, struck out one and walked one.

Amanda Jaskolski went 2-for-4 with a homer and drove in a pair of runs for Lawrence (5-4). Freshman Samantha Belletini went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and drove in three runs for the Vikings, and Alissa Geipel was 3-for-4.

Lawrence jumped on the Hornets (4-5) with a pair of runs in the top of the first when Jaskolski blasted a two-run homer. Cory Paquette and Belletini had back-to-back doubles in the second to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead.

Kalamazoo cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the bottom of the second, but Lawrence sealed the victory with a pair of runs in the sixth. After Jaskolski singled and Alex Chiodo walked, Belletini smacked a two-run double to give the Vikings a 5-1 edge.

Vance allowed a runner in both the sixth and seventh innings but worked out of trouble both times to nail down the win.