In a home doubleheader against Marian University, the Lawrence softball team got its bats moving early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead over the Sabres. After the Vikings squeaked out a win in the first game of the series, sloppy play cost them a chance to sweep and Marian won the second game.
With the Vikings holding a 3-0 lead going into the top of the second inning, defense would prove to be a weak point for head coach Kim Tatro’s squad. Three errors in the inning led to seven runs scored by Marian, but Lawrence tied the game with four more runs in the bottom of the inning.
After a scoreless third inning, Marian scored two runs and was answered by Viking third baseman Courtney Steile, whose three-run home run propelled Lawrence to a one-run lead.
For the rest of the game, Lawrence and Marian matched each other in every inning. When the dust cleared, Lawrence had notched its first win in five games, winning by a final score of 11-10.
In the second game, however, Lawrence’s sloppy defense and Marian’s timely hitting led to an easy win for the Sabres.
Marian had a total of 11 hits compared to Lawrence’s four, but the main culprit in losing the game was the five errors committed by the Vikings’ defense. After giving up three runs in the top of the last inning, Lawrence couldn’t muster anything in their final at-bats, losing the game 7-2.
After starting 11-5, Lawrence (14-12, 5-6 MWC) has now dropped to fourth place in the North Division. While the South Division holds the three worst teams in the conference, the Vikings’ fourth place leaves them out of the postseason, as there is no wildcard qualification.
The team played at Carroll Wednesday and at UW-Whitewater Thursday, with their final game of the season coming at home against Elmhurst at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Softball breaks losing streak
