Blue Raider Softball Picks Up Another Win in Series Finale Against Madonna

COLUMBIA, Ky. – At Marilyn D. Sparks Park, the Lindsey Wilson softball team closed out its home-opening weekend series with Madonna University (Mich.), garnering a second split with the Crusaders on Sunday afternoon.

Game One | Lindsey Wilson 7, Madonna 6

A bases-loaded walk to Elizabeth Funk in the bottom of the seventh inning pushed the Blue Raiders past Madonna in the opening game of the day. The uncharacteristic "walk-off" capped off a come-from-behind effort that began early in the first frame.

The Crusaders found the scoreboard with a crooked three-piece in their first plate appearance, drawing a pair of walks and a couple of hits off Lindsey Wilson starter Abigail Cruz. The local's defense eventually settled in to keep their opponent scoreless over the next three innings but worked needed to be done on the offense side of the ball.

In the second frame, Funk led off with a walk and used a Tanlee Hudgins single and a Madyson Jones fielder's choice to move all the way to third base. Only when the latter of two made a break to try and steal second base did Funk see an opportunity to run for home, which ultimately proved successful as the Crusaders were too busy attempting to catch Jones.

The score stayed put at 3-1 through the third and fourth innings. Then, after a Madonna solo home run in the top of the fifth, the Blue Raiders made their move.

Jones got the ball rolling with a lead-off single, and that was the end for the Crusaders' starting pitcher, Jenna Gould. Madonna's second pitcher did not last very long, only five pitches, in fact, as a subsequent walk to Brooklynn Ott brought Laci Harris' day to an abrupt conclusion. In came the Crusaders' ace Maeson Schlaud, who Lindsey Wilson had not made life easy for on Saturday, and brought the same energy into her next appearance.

A base-hit from Za'Kiya Sizemore juiced the bases for the Blue Raiders, and on the next at-bat, Desiree Chang cleared them off with a three-run RBI-double to deep left-center field, effectively tying the game at 4-4. The onslaught did not cease there, with Alexis Garayzar and Cheyenne Sandoval delivering back-to-back RBI-singles to give Lindsey Wilson a 6-4 advantage.

Madonna managed to knot things up again in the next inning, setting up a dramatic finale in the seventh.

Cruz and the local's defense did their job in the top of the frame, working around a lead-off single. In the bottom leg of the inning, Brylee Pickerell gave the hosts a spark with a lead-off single of her own. Then, Garayzar successfully reached thanks to an infield miscue, and Sandoval drew a walk to load the bases for Funk. With the count loaded at 3-2, the junior stood in and took ball four high and out of the zone, bringing across Pickerell as the winning run.

Behind an unconventional complete-game performance, Cruz picked up her first victory of the season with five strikeouts and five earned runs allowed.

Game Two | Madonna 3, Lindsey Wilson 2

The Crusaders locked down defensively to stifle the Lindsey Wilson offense in game two. After a few bumpy appearances earlier in the series, Schlaud worked a complete-game four-hitter to help Madonna to its second win of the weekend.

The Blue Raiders did strike first, however, in the opening inning. With two outs on the board, Garayzar worked the count in her favor before launching a solo home run over everyone's head and into the trees beyond the left field fence.

Lindsey Wilson could not hold the lead despite the promising start. In the second frame, Madonna, again, tacked on a three-run inning, and that was all they needed the rest of the way.

An RBI-base-hit from Sizemore in the fifth inning to plate Jones pulled the locals within one run of the Crusaders' lead, but the visitors' solid pitching and efficient defense kept the Blue Raiders at bay across the final two innings.

Olivia Franceschi navigated a complete seven-inning outing for Lindsey Wilson, recording one strikeout.

All told, Jones, Garayzar, and Sizemore each tallied two hits on the day, while Chang led the team with four total hits and four runs batted in over the entire four-game series.

Lindsey Wilson hits the road on Wednesday afternoon to visit Asbury University (Ky.) for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. CST.