APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team rallied for a win in the opener and then rolled to a big victory in game two to sweep a nonconference doubleheader from Rockford University on Sunday at Whiting Field.
Lawrence won the first game 4-3 and took the nightcap 9-1 in five innings. In the second game, Amanda Jaskolski hit her 12th homer of the season to tie Carli Gurholt’s season record.
In the opener, Lawrence (26-10) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to earn the victory. The Vikings got its offense going in the fifth when Marisa Thackston led off the inning with a double. After an out, Rheya Upadhyaya singled to score Thackston and trim the lead to 3-1.
Following another out, Savanna Marsicek delivered a run-scoring triple to cut the lead to 3-2. Jaskolski followed with another single to score Marsicek and tie the game. Sam Belletini then rifled a double to left-center to score Jaskolski and Lawrence led 4-3. Kori Looker followed with another single, but Belletini was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Pitcher Liz Barthels, who entered the game in the fourth, retired the final five Rockford (7-32) hitters she faced to pick up her 12th win of the season. She allowed three hits, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
In the nightcap, Lawrence led 2-1 before busting the game open in the fourth inning with seven runs on seven hits as the Vikings sent 13 hitters to the plate.
The Vikings did all the damage after two outs with Marsicek starting the scoring with an RBI double to make it 3-1. Jaskolski followed with a mammoth two-run homer for a 5-1 lead. Lawrence had five more hits in the frame, including a two-run double by Katie Schumacher, a run-scoring double by Taylor Dodson and an RBI single by Upadhyaya. When the dust settled, Lawrence led 9-1.
Jessica Demski retired the side in order in the fifth to close out the game by the eight-run rule in just 54 minutes. Demski went the distance and allowed three hits to improve to 4-0 on the season.
Belletini went 3-for-3 to pace Lawrence’s 14-hit attack, and Jaskolski, Looker, Dodson and Schumacher all had two hits for the Vikings. Jaskolski, Dodson and Schumacher all drove in two runs apiece.