Andrew Wong is one of the leading hitters on the Vikings squad so far this season. (John Gale)
The Lawrence University softball team dropped a close pair of games to St. Norbert this past week, losing 3-0 and 3-2. The losses dropped the Vikings to 9-9 overall on the season.In the first game, the Green Knights struck first, and fast. Vikings pitcher Lauren Kost only gave up two hits in the first, but the Vikings committed two errors and allowed three runs to score. Only one of the runs was earned, but it was enough as the Vikings offense was shut down by a great pitching performance by Andrea Leystra. She shut out the Vikings, striking out six batters in the process and only giving up three hits.
Leystra would be on the rubber for the Green Knights in the second game as well. This time the Vikings got to her, but it wasn’t enough as they fell 3-2. St. Norbert struck first after a Julia Hickey single; she went all the way around the bases on three wild pitches by LU pitcher Pam Schimanski. The Vikings would get their first run in the third after a Jamie Garman double, and then a Shannon Arendt RBI double. The Green Knights added runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-1 lead. The Vikings got one back in the sixth on a few great individual plays by Becca Reason. She singled, stole second, tagged up on a fly ball to center, and scored on an error to close the gap to 3-2. The Vikings could only muster up one hit in the seventh, when they needed one more run, and the Green Knights hung on for the victory.
The Vikings are next in action this weekend at the Midwest Conference Classic in Janesville, WI. The Vikings will play one game each against the MWC South Division teams: Grinnell, Monmouth, Lake Forest, Knox, and Illinois College.