EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Three Lawrence University pitchers combined to fire a no-hitter as the Vikings opened the Midwest Conference Classic with an 11-0 victory over Knox College on Friday.
Shannon Murray, Kara Vance and Jessica Demski combined for the fourth no-hitter in Lawrence softball history. Murray was the starter and this is the third no-hitter with which she has been involved. She fired a no-hitter against Alverno College in 2010 and no-hit Grinnell College at the MWC Classic in 2012.
Murray pitched the first two innings, Vance completed the next two innings and Demski pitched the final inning as Lawrence closed the game out on the eight-run rule. The only runner for Knox (3-16, 2-5 MWC) was on a walk in the third, but that runner was erased on a double play so the Vikings faced the minimum. Murray struck out two and Vance added a strikeout.
Lawrence (11-6, 1-0) blew the game open in the first inning by scoring 11 times in the bottom half of the frame. The Vikings pounded out 11 hits against Knox starter Amber Eisha in the inning. Murray started the scoring with a run-scoring single, and Taylor Dodson added a two-run double. Alex Chiodo had a run-scoring double, and Alissa Geipel later added a two-run single. Cathy Kaye had a run-scoring single, and Murray then delivered a two-run double before a run-scoring double from Anna Wawiorka.
Murray went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Wawiorka and Kaye both went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a RBI. Savanna Marsicek also had a pair of hits for the Vikings.
Lawrence faces Cornell College later this afternoon in the tournament which pits North Division teams against their South Division rivals. The Vikings play two more games on Saturday and two on Sunday.