ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Lawrence University softball team fired a pair of shutouts at Rockford College on Sunday, defeating the Regents 5-0 in the opener and 3-0 in the nightcap.
Shannon Murray and Liz Barthels limited the Regents to just five hits in the opener, and Kara Vance and Murray held Rockford to six hits in the nightcap.
In the first game, Lawrence (10-6) pounded out 14 hits against Rockford starter Brittany Bura. Anna Wawiorka went 3-for-4 to pace Lawrence’s attack, and Murray, Taylor Dodson and Savanna Marsicek all had two hits.
Lawrence scored twice in the top of the first with Dodson delivering a run-scoring single and Marsicek added a run-scoring double. The Vikings made it 3-0 in the fourth when Katie Schumacher belted a run-scoring double.
Dodson added a RBI double in the fifth to put Lawrence up 4-0, and Tierney Duffy drove in a run with a single in the sixth to finish the scoring.
Murray pitched six innings, allowing four hits while striking out four and walking one. Liz Barthels pitched a scoreless seventh for the Vikings.
The Vikings scored late to win a tight contest in the second game.
Lawrence broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fifth. After Alissa Geipel’s infield single and a walk put two runners aboard, Cathy Kaye singled to score Geipel for a 1-0 lead. Kaye went 3-for-3 to pace the Lawrence offense.
Rockford (3-15) threatened to tie it in the bottom half of the inning after getting runners to second and third with one out. Lawrence starter Kara Vance was relieved by Murray, who got a pair of comebackers to get out of the jam.
Lawrence added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. Katie Schumacher drew a one-out walk and Kaye followed with a single. After a strikeout, Wawiorka belted a two-run double to give the Vikings a 3-0 edge.
Murray then worked around a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh to complete the shutout.
Vance allowed four hits in 4.1 innings to get the win. Murray worked the final 2.2 innings to pick up her fourth save of the season.