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THE BUGLE MAY 1, 2014
Sports >> FLYERS, from page 13 Loyola University Chicago. “I am excited for the team and the program to continue to play for a shot at the national championship,” Lewis head men’s volleyball coach Dan Friend said. “The team has battled through a lot of tough matches and their body of work has put us in this position.” The Flyers fell to No. 1 Loyola 3-1 (16-25, 25-27, 25-21, 21-25) on Saturday (April 26) in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball AssociationTournament Finals at Gentile Arena. Lewis looks to avenge a 3-1 (21-25, 2519, 24-26, 20-25) regular season loss to Penn State at Neil Carey Arena on March 22nd. The winner of the LewisPenn State match will take on tournament host and top-seeded Loyola on Thursday (May 1) at 8 PM.
SOFTBALL The eight-game winning streak for the Lewis University softball team came to an end, but the Flyers are peaking at the right time, splitting their Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season finale against Illinois Springfield, winning the opener 1-0, before dropping the nightcap, 7-3, at the Lewis Softball Field on Sunday (Apr. 27) afternoon. The Flyers (23-22, 17-15 GLVC) have won 13 of their last 15 games and have clinched the No. 6 seed in the upcoming GLVC Softball Tournament. Lewis’ opponent and game time on Friday (May 2) have yet to be announced. “We’ve achieved an awful lot this season after our struggles in the beginning,” Lewis head softball coach George DiMatteo said. “We’re really playing well right now and we’re looking forward to the tournament next weekend.” For the second-straight day, the Flyers won 1-0 in the opening game on a walk-off single. Lewis freshman second baseman Carolyn Nojiri (Downers Grove, Ill./ Downers Grove North) opened the scoreless seventh inning with a bunt single and moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bianca Garcia (Elmwood Park, Ill./ Elmwood Park). Two batters later, Lewis sophomore right fielder Brittany Russell (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) plated Nojiri with a gamewinning RBI single to left field. Russell led the Flyers offensively, going 2-for-4 at the dish with the winning RBI.
Lewis junior pitcher Kelly Bowler (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) won her ninth-straight decision with the complete-game, threehit shutout. Bowler (14-9) struck out four batters in the win. Her counterpart, Cheyanne Bowman (10-8) was equally as impressive, allowing one run and six hits in 6.2 innings pitched with five punch outs. UIS’ offensive struggles ended in game two, as the Prairie Stars broke open a 1-all tie with six unanswered runs over the fifth and sixth innings to secure the win. Russell and starting pitcher Chase Machain (Chicago, Ill./Trinity) both led the Flyers with two hits apiece, while junior designated player Ali Brems (Kenosha, Wis./ Harborside) collected a solo home run. Machain (1-8) took the loss for the Flyers in the circle, surrendering seven runs, eight hits and six walks in seven innings with two K’s. UIS starting pitcher Alex Smith (16-11) earned the complete-game win, giving up three runs and six hits, while fanning four. Lewis University senior Jake Murray (Downers Grove, Ill./ Downers Grove North) stayed hot at the plate on Sunday (April 27), going 6-for-13 (.462), with two doubles and two home runs, as the baseball team split its doubleheader with McKendree at Hypes Field. The Bearcats took game one 12-3 while the Flyers won the nightcap by a score of 11-8.
BASEBALL The Flyers improve to 23-22 on the season and 15-16 in Great Lakes Valley Conference action while the Bearcats fall to 15-28 on the year and 10-22 in league play. In the first game, the Flyers took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the third, getting runs on four hits including Murray’s first home run of the day. The Bearcats took the lead in the bottom of the third inning, scoring four runs on four hits, including a two-run blast by Steven Todoschuk, and a Flyer miscue. McKendree put the game out of reach of the Flyers with an eight-run fifth inning, four of which came on a grand slam by Todoschuk. Lewis starter Sam Couch (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic) threw four plus innings in the loss. Couch (6-3) gave up nine runs, six earned, while walking >> see FLYERS | page 16