CHICAGO, Ill. – North Park softball nearly got its revenge against the U-Chicago Maroons on Wednesday afternoon, forcing extra innings before falling in the ninth, 5-4.
Sophomore Maya Lafnear had one of her best starts of the season on Wednesday against a side in Paige Heffke, who is one of the top pitchers in Division III softball with a sub-1.00 ERA.
Lafnear blanked the Maroons in consecutive innings while sophomore catcher Katie Patton continued a hot stretch at the plate with an RBI double to right-center field in the second inning, plating sophomore first baseman Salyssa Garcia.
Chicago marked the equalizer in their next trip to the plate on an RBI single by Audrey Hui in the top of the third.
Three more scoreless half innings went by before the Maroons tacked on two more runs in the fifth on some errant throws by the Vikings and an RBI infield single by Mia Bocian.
A sixth-inning sac fly by sophomore shortstop Kayla Lorenz, plating sophomore third baseman Kathryn Keehn, went by the wayside when the Maroons got the equalizer in the top of the seventh on Hui's RBI groundout.
However, the Vikings would force extras in their final trip to the plate. Patton drew a four-pitch walk before sophomore left fielder Sydney Snyder cracked a single to left-center. Following a pinch hit groundout by senior Eliza Rex to move the runners (now Snyder and freshman Abigail Rhoads) to scoring position, sophomore right fielder Kayla Sapolu split the wickets of the Maroons' shortstop for a three-base error, tying the game 4-4.
Unfortunately, the Maroons succeeded in the series sweep with a pair of singles in the ninth inning to win, 5-4.
- Lafnear fanned three Maroons and surrendered just three in the nine-inning loss
- Patton 2-for-2 with a double and a triple, alongside a pair of walks
- Keehn cracks an oppo triple
- U-Chicago's Madeline Murphy was 4-for-5 with three runs and a pair of triples
North Park (4-10) open CCIW play next Wednesday, April 3, at Wheaton College. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 2:00 PM.
