Softball

Category: Softball

Vikings endure pair of heartbreaking losses to Elmhurst

The Lawrence University softball team endured a pair of heartbreaking losses to Elmhurst College on Saturday at Whiting Field.

Elmhurst won the opener 4-1 and took the nightcap 8-7.

Lawrence (8-21) led 1-0 in the opener before Tiffany Potthast hit a one-out grand slam in the seventh to lift Elmhurst (24-13) to the win.

Rose Wysocki went 3-for-4 for the Bluejays in the opener, and Potthast pitched the final two innings to pick up the win.

Shannon Murray went the distance and took the loss for the Vikings. She allowed nine hits, struck out one and walked one. Kara Vance went 2-for-3 to pace the Lawrence offense.

In the nightcap, Lawrence built a 6-0 lead thanks to some shoddy defense and poor pitching from the Bluejays.

The Vikings scored four runs in the first on only one hit, and that hit didn’t figure into the scoring. Lawrence loaded the bases on two walks and an error. A passed ball scored Cory Paquette and a throwing error by the catcher on the play allowed Alex Chiodo to score. Scarlett Pucci then uncorked a wild pitch and Murray scored to put the Vikings up 3-0. Cathy Kaye then walked, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

Lawrence scored two more times in the second when Chiodo walked and scored when Coley LaChance’s single got past Potthast in left field. Vance later singled to score LaChance to put the Vikings up 6-0.

Lawrence led 7-1 when the Bluejays scored five times on six hits in the fifth inning to cut the margin to 7-6. The Vikings then escaped a major jam in the sixth when the Vikings threw out two runners at the plate, including a strike from Kaye in center field to end the inning.

Potthast got the winning rally going in the seventh when she reached on an infield single with one out. Murray then got a fly out and had a 1-2 count on Clare Bukowski when she blasted a two-run homer to put Elmhurst up 8-7.

Lindsay Nauman, who pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, set the Vikings down in order in the seventh to seal the win.

Potthast went 3-for-4, scored two runs and drove in two runs for the Bluejays.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Vikings split doubleheader with Finlandia

The Lawrence University softball team cruised to a win in the opener on Thursday, but Finlandia University took the nightcap to split a nonconference doubleheader at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (8-19) won the opener 9-1 in six innings, and Finlandia (24-8) took the second game 9-4.

In the opener, Shannon Murray went the distance to pick up the win. She allowed only four hits and one unearned run. Murray struck out four and walked one.

Cathy Kaye powered the Lawrence offense by going 3-for-3. Murray and Alissa Geipel both went 2-for-3 and each drove in a pair of runs.

Lawrence took a 3-1 lead with three runs in the second. Geipel drove in Kara Vance with a run-scoring single to tie the game at 1-1, and Kaye then scored on a passed ball. Brittany Garland then uncorked a wild pitch to score Geipel and give Lawrence a two-run edge.

Lawrence added a run in the fourth on Geipel’s RBI single, and the Vikings pulled away with three runs in the fifth. The Vikings loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a hit batsman, and Murray followed with a two-run single to put Lawrence up 6-1. Kaye later singled up the middle to score Murray to make it 7-1.

Lawrence ended the game on the mercy rule with two runs in the sixth. Lawrence had two runners aboard when Coley LaChance dumped a two-run double down the right field line to end the game.

Garland allowed 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings and took the loss.

In the nightcap, Finlandia collected 12 hits and took advantage of three Lawrence errors to pull away. Garland went the distance to get the win. Garland also went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, and she scored two runs and drove in a pair.

Garland led off the game with a homer, and Finlandia manufactured a run in the second to go up 2-0. The Lions then scored four times in the third with only one hit, but they took advantage of two errors and a wild pitch to go up 6-1.

Finlandia added three runs in the fourth with Garland, Sam Walters and Ashley Benavidez all picking up run-scoring singles to give the Lions a 9-1 lead. Lawrence trimmed the lead to 9-2 with Kaye’s RBI single in the fourth, and the Vikings added two more runs in the seventh for the final margin.

Kaye went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs for the Vikings in the nightcap. Kara Vance made the start and took the loss after pitching only 2 1/3 innings.

Lawrence plays its final home doubleheader on Saturday when it hosts Elmhurst College.

Game one box score

Game two box score

 

 

Vikings split doubleheader with Beloit

The Lawrence University softball team rolled to a win in game one Saturday, but Beloit College got a shutout in game two for a split of a Midwest Conference doubleheader at Whiting Field.

In the opener, Lawrence (7-18, 1-5 MWC) won 9-1 in six innings, and Beloit (7-24, 1-5) posted a 1-0 victory in the second game.

Shannon Murray went the distance to get the win in the first game for Lawrence. She allowed only three hits, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. Coley LaChance and Cory Paquette both went 2-for-3, and Cathy Kaye drove in a pair of runs for the Vikings.

Lawrence got on the board on Paquette’s run-scoring single in the second inning, but the Vikings broke the game open in the third. Lawrence scored four times in the third with Brielle Bartes and Mary Diduch both picking up run-scoring singles. Diduch completed the scoring in the third when she stole home as part of a double steal to give Lawrence a 5-0 lead.

Lawrence added  a run in the fourth on Alex Chiodo’s squeeze bunt, and the Vikings led 6-1 heading to the sixth.

The Vikings had two runners aboard in the sixth when Kaye doubled down the left field line to score Paquette and Bartes for an 8-1 lead. LaChance then ended the game when she singled to score Kaye.

In the nightcap, Katy Sandt, who took the loss in the opener, went the distance to get the win. Sandt allowed only three hits, struck out five and walked one.

The only run of the contest was Emily Dorjath’s solo homer in the fifth inning.

Lawrence, which went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the game, had two great chances to score.

LaChance smacked a one-out double in the fourth, and Murray followed with a bloop single. LaChance had to hold at second on the play, but both runners moved up on Kara Vance’s ground out. Didich then flied out to end the threat.

Lawrence had runners at second and third with no one out in the sixth, but Sandt got Murray to pop up on the infield for the first out. Vance then grounded to third, but Megan Salm made a nice play to throw out pinch-runner Jessica Robbins at the plate for the second out. Diduch then popped up on the infield to end the threat.

Murray allowed only five hits but took the loss in game two. She struck out five and didn’t walk a hitter.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Ripon sweeps doubleheader from Vikings

The Ripon College softball team rallied for a victory in game one and then rode great pitching to a win in game two to sweep a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Wednesday at Whiting Field.

Ripon (14-9, 2-0 MWC) scored six times in the final two innings to win the opener 6-2 and took a 1-0 victory in the nightcap.

In the opener, Ripon got a two-run homer from Cassie Bilotto in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 2-2. The Red Hawks then scored four times on six hits in the seventh to seal the victory.

Lawrence (6-17, 0-4) had taken a 2-0 lead in the second when Brielle Bartes and Cory Paquette both delivered run-scoring singles. That was all Lawrence would get against Ripon starter Stephanie Rieuwpassa, who went the distance. She struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.

Five Ripon players had two hits apiece, including Bilotto, who drove in four runs.

The nightcap was a pitchers’ duel between Lawrence’s Shannon Murray and Ripon’s Ashley Gnacinski. Murray went the distance and allowed only five hits while striking out five and walking none. Gnacinski pitched five innings and allowed two hits and one walk to get the win. Rieuwpassa pitched perfect sixth and seventh innings to get the save.

The only run of the game came in the top of the fourth. Murray threw only three pitches to get the first two outs of the inning, but Bilotto came up with a two-out single. Beth Ebben followed with a single, and Gnacinski singled up the middle to score Bilotto and give Ripon a 1-0 lead.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Inside LU Athletics: Murray powers Vikings’ offense and pitching staff

They broke the cardinal rule, but the sporting gods were on the side of pitcher Shannon Murray.

The Lawrence University softball team was in the midst of blowing out Grinnell College last Saturday at the Midwest Conference Classic when pitching coach Ron Harke asked head coach Kim Tatro what she thought about pulling Murray. The Vikings were in the first of three games on Saturday, and Murray would definitely be needed to pitch later in the day.

“We were talking about making a change in the fourth inning,” Tatro said, “and I said, ‘You know she’s got a no-hitter going.’ ”

Tatro figured that would jinx it, but Murray cruised through the rest of the contest to post her second career no-hitter and only the third in Lawrence history. It is the latest highlight this season for Murray, who leads the team in hitting and is the Vikings’ top pitcher.

“To be honest, it would not have been possible without the entire team,” a modest Murray said of her no-hitter. “We shut them down defensively, and offensively we hit the ball right away.”

It’s her offense that makes Murray very unique among softball pitchers. A junior from Lawrenceville, Ga., Murray leads the team with a .441 batting average, but she is far from a singles hitter. Murray has a team-high eight doubles, is tied for the team lead with two triples and has a team-best 19 runs batted in.

“In terms of being pretty dominant in both areas, that doesn’t happen very often,” Tatro said. “Pitchers often grow up with the mindset that they are going to pitch, and that’s what they’re going to do well. They don’t often become the type of hitter that Shannon is where you can hit for power and hit for average. From that standpoint, she’s pretty unique.”

Murray is oblivious to the numbers she’s posting. In five games last week, the young woman from Georgia nicknamed Peach by her teammates hit a blistering .571 and had a 1.000 slugging percentage.

“To be honest, I don’t really keep up with the numbers. It takes the fun out of the game for me,” Murray said. “I couldn’t tell you if it was my best season, but it’s been productive. I try to go up there and do what’s productive for the team.”

Murray also has been the workhorse of the pitching staff by throwing 80.1 of of Lawrence’s 131 innings this season.

“I don’t care who you’re playing, to throw a no-hitter is pretty special,” Tatro said. “The mindset was to get the day off on a good note and get Shannon going. The idea to start the day was to throw her and then come in with someone else if we got a lead.”

The no-hitter threw a wrench in those plans, but that’s not the first time this season the Vikings have seen the best-laid plans altered. Murray was expected to form a great 1-2 pitching punch with senior Emily Perish, but an injury has sidelined Perish for the nearly a month.

“It’s definitely different without Em,” Murray said. “We came into the season not knowing what the freshmen were going to be like. The two freshmen have done a great job of stepping up. As a pitching staff, we’re a good working team.”

Perish’s injury has left Murray as the staff ace with freshmen Kara Vance and Liz Barthels lending a hand. Murray, who hasn’t pitched with a lot of luck this season (almost one-third of the runs she has allowed are unearned), is 5-8 with a 4.36 earned runs average.

“When Shannon came in, we were equally impressed with her skills from an offensive and defensive perspective,” Tatro said. “She has evolved into a team leader and one of the most competitive players we have on our team come game time.”

That competitive fire has left Murray wanting more this season. The young Vikings have struggled to a 6-15 record, but Murray believes the team is capable of piling up some victories.

“Sometimes we’re thinking so much about what we need to do on the field that we’re not doing it,” Murray said. “We’re focusing on just playing and just doing. If we can do that, we will start to have some more wins.”

The Vikings enter a busy stretch where they will play 12 games in the next 11 days.

Stormy weather

The Midwest Conference Classic was canceled after one day of play in Waukegan, Ill., this past weekend. The Classic pits the North Division teams against their South Division rivals and the games count in the conference standings. Because all of Sunday’s scheduled play was washed out and will not be made up, all three of Saturday’s games will not count in the conference standings.

Aces in the house

Ironically, the only other player in Lawrence softball history to toss a no-hitter, Lauren Kost, just happened to be at Murray’s no-hitter against Grinnell. Kost, a 2005 Lawrence graduate, lives in the Chicago area and went to the MWC Classic, which was being played in Waukegan, Ill., for the first time.

Streaking Vikings

The Lawrence baseball team has run its win streak to six games, and that is the longest season winning streak for the Vikings (10-12) since 1980. The 1980 squad won seven straight, and the longest win streak is nine games, which began at the end of the 1988 season and continued into the start of the 1989 season.

Vikings sweep honors

Lawrence baseball standouts Gabe Henriques and Atley Gay swept the Midwest Conference Performer of the Week awards. Henriques, a junior infielder from Chicago, Ill.,was named Player of the Week, and Gay, a freshman right-hander from Manitowoc, Wis., was chosen as Pitcher of the Week.

Henriques led Lawrence to a 6-0 record on the week by hitting .500 (10-for-20) with seven runs batted in. Henriques scored 10 runs and collected two doubles, a triple and a homer.

Gay picked up his first collegiate win and his first collegiate save during the week. Gay went the distance in Lawrence’s 11-1 win at Finlandia University this past Saturday to get his first win. He allowed two hits, struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Gay earned his first save by pitching the final inning of Lawrence’s 8-5 victory over the Milwaukee School of Engineering last Wednesday.

Tennis records fall

Lawrence women’s tennis star Beth Larson broke one school record last Saturday, and the Vikings tied another in a 9-0 nonconference victory over Concordia (Wis.) University at the Lawrence Courts.

Larson, Lawrence’s No. 1 singles player, beat Concordia’s Meagan Harrington 6-3, 6-2, to record her 22nd victory of the season. That breaks the record of 21 set by Appleton native Linda Tomtshak in 1985.

Lawrence (13-7) picked up its 13th dual meet victory of the season and that ties the mark set by the Vikings in 2005 and 2008.

Pair of games washed out at MWC Classic

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Inclement weather and poor field conditions have forced the cancellation of Monday’s games at the Midwest Conference Classic.

Lawrence was scheduled to play both Monmouth College and Lake Forest College on Monday.

Lawrence played three games Saturday in the MWC Classic, which pits the North Division teams against their rivals from the South Division, and posted a 1-2 record.

The games that were completed on Saturday will not count in the conference standings. Lawrence resumes conference play when the Vikings host Ripon College at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Whiting Field.

Rutledge pitches Illinois College past Lawrence

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Erin Rutledge tossed a two-hitter as the Illinois College softball team downed Lawrence University 7-1 on Saturday at the Midwest Conference Classic.

Rutledge allowed only Alissa Geipel’s single in the fifth inning and Shannon Murray’s run-scoring double in the seventh. Rutledge struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Illinois College scored twice in the first, added three runs in the second and had single runs in the third and fifth innings. Kara Vance made the start and took the loss for Lawrence (6-15, 1-4 MWC).

Paige Cullison went 3-for-3, scored two runs and drove in three to pace the Lady Blues.

Box score

Defensive miscues costly in loss to Knox

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — The Lawrence University softball team did not allow an earned run against Knox College on Saturday at the Midwest Conference Classic, but the Prairie Fire recorded a 6-2 victory.

Lawrence (6-14, 1-3 MWC) committed five errors in the contest, including two in the opening inning. Knox scored five times in the first and led 5-1 after the opening frame.

Brittney Price went 3-for-3 and Jenna Butler was 2-for-3 and drove in two runs for Knox. Coley LaChance went 2-for-4 and drove in both runs for the Vikings.

Amber Eisha went the distance and got the win for Knox. Liz Barthels pitched the first two innings for the Vikings and took the loss.

Box score

Murray fires no-hitter as Vikings blank Grinnell

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — Lawrence University’s Shannon Murray fired a no-hitter in a 12-0 win over Grinnell College on Saturday in the opening game of the Midwest Conference Classic.

Murray struck out seven and did not walk a batter in the five-inning contest. It was the second career no-hitter for the junior from Lawrenceville, Ga., who also tossed a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Alverno College on April 1, 2010. This is the third no-hitter in Lawrence history.

Murray allowed only two runners in the contest. She hit a batter in the first, and the Pioneers had a runner reach base on an error in the fourth.

Murray, Cathy Kaye and Coley LaChance all had two hits for the Vikings. Alex Chiodo drove in a game-high three runs for the Vikings and Murray drove in a pair.

Murray got all the offense she would need when the Vikings scored three times in the first. Kaye led off the inning with a homer, Murray had a run-scoring double and Alissa Geipel added a run-scoring single in the frame.

Lawrence added a run in the second and then scored eight times in the bottom of the fourth. The big hit in the inning was Chiodo’s three-run, bases-loaded triple.

Box score

St. Norbert rallies for pair of wins against Vikings

DE PERE, Wis. — The St. Norbert College softball team rallied for wins in both games to record a Midwest Conference doubleheader sweep of Lawrence University on Wednesday at Mel Nicks Field.

The Green Knights scored eight times in the fifth and went on to a 9-3 victory in the opener, and St. Norbert scored five times in the sixth and posted a 5-2 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, St. Norbert (9-11, 4-0 MWC) picked up 16 hits against Lawrence starter Shannon Murray. Steph Brunette led St. Norbert by going 3-for-4 and scoring three runs.

Murray went 2-for-3 for Lawrence (5-13, 0-2), which was limited to five hits against Shannen Schmidt.

Lawrence built a 3-1 lead with single runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings. Brielle Bartes had a run-scoring single in the second and picked up a sacrifice fly in the fourth. The Vikings got the run in the fifth on Murray’s RBI double.

The Green Knights finally broke through in the fifth and scored eight times on eight hits in the inning. Abby Gildernick hit a three-run homer in the inning, and Morgan Buboltz added a two-run shot in the frame.

Lawrence built a 2-0 lead in the nightcap by scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Cathy Kaye picked up a run-scoring double in the fifth, and Murray blasted a solo homer to put the Vikings up 2-0 in the sixth.

St. Norbert then struck for five runs in the bottom of the sixth with four hits and the Green Knights took advantage of two Lawrence errors. The big hit in the inning was Brunette’s two-run single, and Brunette finished 3-for-3 in the game.

Murray went the distance in the nightcap and took the loss. She also went 3-for-3 at the plate to pace the Lawrence offense. Morgan Rusch went the distance and got the win for St. Norbert.

Game one box score

Game two box score