The Vikings softball team dropped a pair of games to UW-Whitewater this past week 12-5 and 9-5, but came back to sweep MSOE with scores of 6-3 and 16-0. Pam Schimanski threw only the sixth one hitter in LU history in the second game against the Raiders.In the first game against UW-Whitewater, the Vikings kept it close early. The Warhawks opened it up with four runs in the third and two more in the second to take an 8-3 lead. The Vikings defense also struggled, making three errors. Shannon Arendt led the way for LU by going 3-4. Jenny Burris went 2-4 with a double and two stolen bases as well for LU.
In the second game, the Warhawks wasted no time getting to Vikings pitcher Schimanski. She gave up five runs in the first, and the Vikings never could catch up. Five more errors plagued the Vikings as well. On offense Mo Batog led LU, going 3-4.
The Vikings came back for the next game at Whiting Field against MSOE, and proved they are a better team than they seemed the day before. The Vikings scored their first two runs in the third inning, and added four more in the fifth to pull away. Burris knocked in Arendt on an RBI single in the second, and scored on Loni Philbrick-Linzmeyer’s double in the fifth. Lauren Kost raised her record to 7-3, striking out four batters.
The second game was all LU. Schimanski was making the Raiders miss all over, striking out eight on her way to the first one hitter since Amy Varda did it last April. The Vikings offense was also on top of their game, scoring three in the first, six in the second, five in the third, and finally two in the fourth. Arendt was a perfect 3-3 on the game, but Philbrick-Linzmeyer had the game of the day, going 3-4 with four RBIs, and scoring two runs herself.
The Vikings have not lost to MSOE since 1989. They improved their record to 7-7 on the year, and start their home conference season this Wednesday against Ripon. Game time is 3:00.