Contact: Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970 (written by Zak Talbot, Athletic Communications Student Assistant)

DUBUQUE, Iowa (April 3, 2022) - After battling a week of unpredictable and inclement weather, the No. 23 Loras College softball team (15-1, 2-0 A-R-C) found a break in the precipitation to play their home opener against the Simpson Storm (16-9, 1-3 A-R-C). The Duhawks beat the forecasted rain and took two games from the Simpson Storm on Senior Day to open conference play with two wins.
 
In the first game, the Duhawks came out of the dugout on fire and got out of their defensive half of the inning with two strikeouts from the freshman standout Ashlyn Hemm and a pop fly to second base caught by Emily Monahan. The top of the inning was not the only highlight for the Duhawks in the first. The fireworks came quickly in the bottom of the first with senior leadoff hitter Ellie Schill. Schill doubled to left field to give the Duhawks a runner on second. After a Grace Houghton walk, Jadyn Anderson stepped up to the plate and drove a ball deep into right center field that found its way over the outfield wall for a three-run shot.
 
The next few innings saw defensive gems in a pitcher battle with few chances at the plate for either team. Hemm held a no-hitter until the fifth inning, striking out six batters up until that point. Simpson would put two runs across in the top of the fifth, but the Duhawks put up a defensive stand through the following two innings to hold the score to 3-2. After a strikeout for the third out and the win with the bases loaded, Hemm upped her record to 11-0, and finished her first game of the afternoon with two earned runs off of three hits allowed. She recorded ten strikeouts in her seven innings pitched.
 
Quickly after on the cold and wind-chilled afternoon, the Duhawks saw starting pitcher Kayla Stich step into the circle. The Storm got off to a quick start, hitting two runs across in the first inning and adding one more in the third.
 
After a slower start which saw only two hits in the second inning, the Duhawks, behind three runs, found much needed momentum in the bottom of the fourth. Seeing her first action of the afternoon, Taylor Donnell came in as the pinch hitter, and saw herself to second base with a leadoff double. A groundout allowed Donnell to advance to third, and a walk by Clare Murphy put runners on the corners for the Duhawks. Following the walk, Morgan Machovec singled to right field to bat Donnell in for the first run of the game. Murphy and Machovec found their way into scoring position and were swiftly brought home from a double off the bat of Payton Meier. The three runs brought energy back to the dugout of the Duhawks as Hemm stepped back onto the field in a relief effort in the top of the fifth.
 
The Duhawks defense held the Storm scoreless in the following two innings, leading into the bottom of the sixth. Anderson stayed hot at the plate for the day hitting a double to leadoff. A sacrifice bunt from Murphy was laid down to perfection as Anderson advanced to third. With two outs, Nicole Bendig hit a ground ball to second base out of the reach of the fielder to score Anderson, marking her third RBI of the season and at a crucial moment. The Duhawks would closed the door on a comeback for the Storm in the seventh inning behind two more Hemm strikeouts to win the second game of the day 4-3.
 
Hemm ended the day with 10.0 innings pitched and a combined 14 strikeouts, upping her season total to 142, placing her at second in the nation and first in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C). Anderson batted 1-2 with three RBI's in the first game and 2-3 while scoring what would be the winning run in the second game.
 
The two wins see the Duhawks honor their seniors with an undefeated to start conference play, and gives the team momentum as they strive to continue their campaign and attempt to climb higher in the national rankings. The Duhawks look to continue their success as they take on Central College in Pella, Iowa on Apr. 5th in a double header. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. with the second game immediately to follow.