The Iowa Lakes Community College Softball team split with Hawkeye Community College in their conference match up. The Lakers took game one 2-1, before dropping game two 4-3 in eight innings. The Lakers are now 19-5 overall and 2-2 in conference.
GAME 1: 2 (ILCC), 1 (HCC)
The Lakers broke through in the third inning when Kenzie Enter sparked the offense with a triple to right field. Charli Abernathy followed with a walk, and Kaitlyn DuChateau lifted a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Enter to tag up and score the game's first run for a 1-0 lead.
Iowa Lakes threatened again in the fourth inning, loading the bases with two walks and a single from Knobloch, but the RedTails escaped the jam to keep the deficit at one.
Hawkeye answered in the bottom of the sixth inning when they connected on a solo home run to right field, evening the score at 1-1.
The Lakers responded immediately in the top of the seventh. After Enter reached base on a walk, she advanced to second on a ground out from Abernathy. DuChateau then delivered once again, ripping a double to center field to bring Enter home and give Iowa Lakes a 2-1 advantage.
That would be all the support needed for Katie Kvigne, who was dominant in the circle. In the seventh, she got a strikeout, flyout to Abernathy, and a flyout to Leah Bode.
Gracie Knobloch was 2-3 at the plate. Kaitlyn DuChateau drove in both runs, while Kenzie Enter scored both runs. Katie Kvgine earned the win, throwing all seven innings. She allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk, while striking out seven.
GAME 2: 4 (HCC), 3 (ILCC)
The Lakers struck first in the opening inning as DuChateau doubled and then advanced to third on a single from Korilynn Christians. Addison Wheeler then doubled to right, scoring DuChateau.
Hawkeye responded in the second inning with a solo home run to tie the game. The RedTails scored another run in the inning on a walk, single, and passed ball.
Iowa Lakes answered in the top of the third inning. Abernathy led off the inning with a double and then advanced to third on a groundout from DuChateau. She then scampered home on a groundout from Christians. Three consecutive singles from Wheeler, Knobloch, and Karlee Akers made the score 3-2.
The RedTails evened the score again in the fourth inning with another solo home run.
Both teams settled in defensively over the next several innings. The Lakers threatened in the sixth inning when Abernathy delivered another double, but Hawkeye worked out of the jam to keep the game tied.
The RedTails capitalized in the bottom of the eighth inning, launching a walk-off solo home run to center field to secure the 4-3 victory.
Charli Abernathy led the Lakers at the plate, going 2-3 with a run scored. Addison Wheeler was also 2-3 with one run scored and one run batted in. Morgan Fine suffered the loss in the circle, throwing 2.2 innings. She allowed one earned run on one hit and two walks. Macy Pickett threw 5 innings, allowing three runs, two earned on five hits and two walks, while striking out two.
The Lakers will continue their road trip with two games against Northeast Iowa Community College. The game times are 1:00 and 3:00 PM.