Sweep Success! Softball sinks Lake Erie, Northern State

JAN PHYL VILLAGE, Florida – The American International College softball team dug deep to win a pair of games, 3-2 over Lake Erie College and 9-7 in eight innings against Northern State University, on Tuesday, March 12.

AIC is now 3-1 on the season. 

The Yellow Jackets and Storm traded runs early on. An error led to a runner in scoring position that was driven in by a hit for the Storm, but Destiny McGrath countered with a ball she crushed to left for her first home run of the season. In the second, a hit by pitch was followed by two singles to give the Storm the lead back. That lasted until the fourth, when Kodi Gora hit her first round-tripper of 2024 to center.

In the sixth, AIC finally broke through. Abigail Wells and McGrath both singled. AIC tried a double steal, but Wells was tagged out. However, Taylor Murphy came through, punching a base hit through to bring McGrath home and give AIC its first lead. Kaitlyn Boone, who had come in to pitch in the sixth, shut the door in the seventh to end the game.

In the second game, AIC struck first, as Wells led off with a single and ultimately scored on a wild pitch. However, Northern State scored to tie it in the bottom half, and then erupted for five runs in the second.

AIC battled, and was able to push a run across in the fifth as Julia Krijgsman singled to bring Gora in after the third baseman reached on an error. However, AIC trailed 6-2 in the seventh, and the odds were long.

The Yellow Jackets went for it anyway, starting with back-to-back hits by Krijgsman and Brooke Cividanes. A passed ball later, AIC was well-set to start scoring, and Wells, McGrath, and Murphy strung three hits together to push runs in; McGrath herself scored on another passed ball, and Gora lifted a sac fly to center to push Murphy home and give AIC the lead.

The drama continued as the Wolves turned a one-out single into the tying run on an error, forcing the game to extras even at 7-7. In the extra frame, Brianna Harzula led off with a perfectly-placed bunt that was just out of the reach of the Wolves' third baseman's dive, and Krijgsman and Cividanes both smacked singles to give AIC a 9-7 lead.

This time, there was no comeback. Boone struck out the leadoff hitter, Wells made a spectacular catch in left center for the second out, and a grounder to Murphy ended the game.

Boone earned wins in both appearances, the first two of her career, allowing just two hits and no earned runs across the combined 4.2 innings of work.

AIC will next face off against the University of Indianapolis and Slippery Rock University on Thursday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. respectively.