The LU softball team is back on track, gaining a sweep of a doubleheader with the Milwaukee School of Engineering. This comes after a rocky spring break trip to Fort Myers, Florida that saw the Vikings go 2-8, and bat less than .200 as a team.
The Vikings defeated Southern Maine 4-0 and Edgewood 2-0 on their trip. Vikings star senior Lauren Kost picked up both wins for LU. She also won the first game against MSOE to bring her record to 3-3 on the season with an absolutely miniscule 0.12 ERA. Kost has only given up one earned run in 59 innings pitched. She has also struck out 45 batters in that span.
Kost pitched all ten innings in the Vikings’ first win over MSOE this past Monday. LU struck first in the top of the first, when Becca Reason singled and stole second base. Freshman Carrie Van Groll knocked in Reason with her first RBI single of the game. MSOE tied the game in the fifth inning when a player reached on an error by LU catcher Loni Philbrick-Linzmeyer, and then advanced on a single and a wild pitch to score on a groundout.
The game remained deadlocked at one until the top of the tenth, when Reason reached on an error, and once again scored on an RBI single by Van Groll. Van Groll herself scored after Philbrick-Linzmeyer singled her home in the next at bat. Kost retired the side in order in the bottom of the tenth and got the 3-1 LU win.
In the second game, the Vikings jumped out to a three-run lead with one run in each of the first three innings. In the first, Reason scored on a sacrifice fly by Van Groll. In the second inning, third baseman Greta Raaen walked and stole second, and then scored on an error. The third LU run was scored by Reason, who singled, stole second and then scored on an error.
MSOE got their two runs in the bottom of the third off of LU freshman pitcher Faye Eaton. LU struck back with two in the fifth as Eaton helped her cause with a two-RBI single, scoring Van Groll and Felice Porrata. LU added one more in the top of the seventh and Eaton got her first collegiate victory with a 6-2 win over the Raiders.
The Vikings are in action this weekend at the Midwest Conference Classic in Janesville, Wis. The Vikings will play each of the southern division teams once. LU plays Knox, Illinois College and Lake Forest on Friday, and Monmouth and Grinnell on Saturday.
Viking softball sweeps first Wisconsin games -dlh
