CLERMONT, Fla. (March 19, 2023) –Timely longballs helped lift the Loras College softball team to a pair of Saturday victories as the Duhawks finished their trip with a 7-2 record at THE Spring Games.

The Duhawks (9-4) squeaked their way past Bowdoin College 9-8 in Saturday morning in a back-and-forth game before using more late-inning production to take down Trinity College in their final game of the weekend.

Loras 9, Bowdoin 8
The Duhawks got ahead early against the Polar Bears but needed some late-inning magic to escape with a 9-8 win. A pair of runs came home in the bottom of the first inning after a pair of hits and an error before a four-spot in the third inning increased the lead to 6-0.

The Polar Bears chipped away at the lead with three runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth, but their biggest production came in the top of the sixth when three doubles in the inning plated four runs. That output put the Polar Bears ahead 8-7.

With two outs in the bottom half, nine-hole hitter Morgan Machovec kept the inning alive and turned the lineup over with a single. That base hit from the sophomore brought sophomore leadoff hitter Whitney Leipold to the plate, and the opportunity didn't go to waste as she belted a two-run home run to left field, putting the Duhawks back in front at 9-8.

Freshman Rachel Peat came on to pitch in the seventh inning and secured the save for the Duhawks.

Loras 7, Trinity 4
Late-inning production helped the Duhawks sweep their final day of competition as a three-run seventh inning catapulted them to a 7-4 win over Trinity.

Loras struck first in this one with three runs in the top of the third inning, but the Bantams responded with two of their own in the bottom half. After a single Duhawk run in the fourth, two more for the Bantams in the bottom of the sixth knotted the score at 4-4 heading to the seventh.

After an RBI double from senior Abby Jones put the Duhawks in the lead, a two-run shot from senior Grace Houghton provided some insurance and put the Duhawks up 7-4. The Bantams put a pair of runners on in the bottom half, but reliever Shandi Rulli got out of the jam and secured the Duhawk win.

Loras will be back in action this coming weekend, March 25-26, at the North Park University Invite. The Duhawks will play the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and North Park on each day, starting on Saturday at 2 P.M. against UWRF.