ANGOLA, Ind. — The Loras College softball team continued their trend of making history Thursday afternoon, getting their first NCAA Tournament win with a 14-6 victory over the No. 24-ranked University of Rochester (NY).
Offense stole the show as both teams combined for 20 runs on 23 hits.
Rochester (35-9) was on the board first, with a solo home run off the bat of Katelyn Wade in the bottom of the second.
In the third inning, the Duhawk bats started to roll.
Ellie Baker started with a single, followed by
Katherine Svigelj's single.
Ava Franklin then tripled down the right field line, bringing home both Baker and Svigelj. Franklin later scored on a
Dana Skorich fielder's choice.
Gillian Jones capped off the four run inningt with an RBI single, allowing Skorich to cross the plate.
In the bottom half of the third, the Yellowjackets once again proved why they rank in the top 10 in home runs with another solo shot, this time off the bat of Riley Layjo. Rochester got another run later in the inning in the frame off of a Duhawk error.
Loras (30-14) added two more in the fourth inning when Baker and Svigelj both singled, before later scoring on Franklin's RBI base hit.
The sixth inning was pivotal, as the the Duhawks put up an eight spot to take control of the game.
With the score tied at six,
Kaili Henning doubled to get things started, and
Kiya Steger singled, putting runners on first and third. Skorich's single brought in Henning, and
Laurissa Klapatauskas followed with a suicide squeeze play to score Steger. Errors and timely hitting allowed the Duhawks to score eight runs in total. Franklin capped the inning off with a single that pushed her RBI count to six, a season high.
The Duhawks maintained this lead through the final inning, securing a 14-6 victory over the Yellowjackets.
Despite giving up five runs, Henning earned her 14
th win of the season after tossing five innings. She allowed five earned runs of seven hits while fanning seven.
Up Next: Loras will return to action tomorrow to take on the host, the No. 4-ranked Trine University Thunder. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. eastern time.
