ROMEOVILLE, ILL - Between the beginning of spring and conflicting weather updates, the Ohio Dominican softball team finally returned to the field for action, this time in Illinois to face Lewis University for two games inside the Rosemont Dome. The Panthers completed the trip with a series split with the Flyers. 

Game One (W, 2-1)
Starting in the circle for game one was freshman Alyvia Lawrentz, who recorded her eighth complete game and sixth win of the season. Lawrentz allowed only one run on six hits with four strikeouts across 26 at-bats.

Offensively in the win, Reese Loveday went 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a walk. Addie Triplett was also perfect, going 2-for-2 with one RBI.

In the top of the first inning, the Panthers got on the scoreboard first. Freshman Reese Loveday started the action with a double to right field, advancing Halina Schulte to third base after she reached on a fielder's choice. Addie Triplett followed with a sacrifice fly RBI, scoring Schulte for a 1-0 lead to open the game.

Reese Loveday kept the momentum going in the third inning when she singled up the middle for an RBI, scoring Schulte once again to extend the lead to 2-0.

Lewis attempted a late comeback in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly RBI to keep the Panthers on their toes, but Lawrentz closed out the game with a fly out to secure the team's sixth consecutive win, 2-1.

Game Two (L, 6-5)
In a close attempt at sweeping the Flyers, the Panthers came up just short in the second game, falling 6-5. Sophomore Emma Grau pitched six innings, allowing six earned runs on 15 hits over 88 pitches.

Offensively, Lilly Irvine recorded three hits and two runs. Erica Massey also finished with three hits and one run, while Avery Mueller drove in three RBIs during her 1-for-2 day at the plate.

Similar to the first game, the Panthers struck first in the bottom of the second when Avery Mueller hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Lilly Irvine. In response, the Flyers tallied two runs in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI triple and an RBI single to go up 2-1.

The Panthers answered back in the top of the third when Erica Massey opened the inning with a triple down the right field line and scored on an error to tie the game at 2-2. In the bottom of that inning, the Flyers responded with an RBI double to right center to retake a 3-2 lead.

In the fourth, ODU broke out for three more runs. Lilly Irvine opened the inning with a single and Emma Grau reached on an error before Avery Mueller cracked a two-run double to right center to reclaim the lead. To push the advantage to two, Erica Massey followed with another triple, scoring Mueller for a 5-3 lead.

The Flyers put together three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-5 lead, using an RBI double followed by a two-run single to move ahead for good.

Coming Up
Due to weather conditions and rescheduling, the doubleheader against Kentucky Wesleyan originally set for Friday, April 3 has been moved up to tomorrow, Thursday 4/2, with start times at 2 and 4 PM. Additionally, the postponed doubleheader against Lake Erie originally scheduled for Saturday, March 28th has been moved to Monday, 4/6, with start times at 3 and 5 PM in Painesville, Ohio.