DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras softball team improved to 20-6 on the season with a non-conference sweep of Mount Mary on Sunday. In game one, junior
Savannah Fowler led the Duhawks offensively, going 3-for-3 at the plate while driving in two runs while scoring two of her own. Junior
Bria Lenten paced Loras in game two as the Cedar Rapids native went 2-for-2 at the plate while driving in three runs and scoring twice.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Game One
- The Blue Angels threatened in the first frame with a one-out base hit, but freshman Emily Reilly sent Mount Mary down before the rally could grow.
- Loras jumped on the board in the third as the Duhawks exploded for four runs on five hits. Junior Shannon Coyle knocked in two runs herself with a bases-clearing double to the right-center gap.Â
- Mount Mary earned one run back in the top of the fourth with a solo homer over the center field fence.Â
- The Duhawk offense again exploded in the bottom of the fourth as sophomore Ashley Lentine doubled to right center to plate Fowler and Lenten.Â
- In the bottom of the fifth, with a 7-1 advantage, Loras knocked in two runs to end the game in five innings. Fowler ended the game with a executed suicide squeeze play that brought Wolverton home safely.Â
Game Two
- In the top of the first, Mount Mary led off with a double but sophomore Bayley Monroe retired the next three hitters to quell the Blue Angels' rally hopes.Â
- Duhawks drew three straight walks to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first. Loras capitalized on the opportunity with a sacrifice fly from senior Kat Angelini to bring Lentine in to score.Â
- In the bottom of the second, sophomore Megan Larson hit a shot to left field to score Lentine and Fowler for a 5-1 Duhawk lead.Â
- An RBI single up the middle by Lenten in the third scored senior Cate Paulsen and freshman McKenna Hawkins to extend Loras' lead to six.Â
- The Duhawks added to their six-run lead in the bottom of the fourth with five runs including a two-RBI double from Lenten.
- Freshman Cassie Rottink entered the game in the top of the fifth in relief of Monroe. Rottink worked a 1-2-3 frame to seal Loras' 20th win of the season.Â
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Savannah Fowler | In addition to hitting in the game-winning run, Fowler went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a double and two runs scored. The junior added two RBI's to her stat line in the Duhawks game one win.Â
Bria Lenten | In game two, Lenten went a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate and scored two runs. The Cedar Rapids native also drove in three of Loras' 11 runs in the game two victory.
NOTABLES
- The Duhawks' offense exploded for five doubles in game one from Lentine, Coyle, Paulsen, Lenten and Fowler
- Fowler set career-highs in hits with three
- With her win in game two, Monroe improved to 8-1 this season and lowered her ERA to 3.20
- Coyle has extended her current hitting streak to 17-straight games after recording hits in both of Loras' wins on Sunday. The junior has also reached safely in each of the last 25 games
- With the sweep on Sunday, the Duhawks have now won 20 games in the 2017 season, the most since 2012
- With one career record already to her name (doubles), Stromert is approaching three more career records in hits, RBIs and triples
SOUNDBITES | Head Coach
Ashley Winter
UP NEXT
The Duhawks return back to Iowa Conference play on Wednesday with a doubleheader against No. 5 Luther. The Norse are 24-3 (3-1 IIAC) after splitting with No. 7 Coe on Saturday. First pitch of the double header is scheduled for 3 p.m. from Faber-Clark Field.
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