USI Box Score (PDF) / USI Box Score (HTML)
UIS Box Score (PDF) / UIS Box Score (HTML)

East Peoria, Ill. - The Lewis University softball team extended its season-best winning streak to five games and captured its third-straight extra inning affair with the 4-1 (8 inn.) upset over No. 13 Southern Indiana in the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Ill., on Friday (May 1) afternoon.

With the win, Lewis improves to 26-20, while the Screaming Eagles fall to 37-8.

With the score tied at one in the eighth inning, the Flyers loaded the bases with one out. Lewis sophomore shortstop Carly Jaworski (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) pushed the Flyers' ahead, 2-1, on a sacrifice fly. Lewis added two more insurance runs on RBI singles by both senior first baseman Kelsey Ullrich (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton North) and freshman right fielder Jenna Cairo (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick).

Jaworski drove in two runs for the Flyers, while sophomore third baseman Carolyn Nojiri (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North), junior catcher Brittany Russell (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) and Cairo each collected a pair of hits. Russell scored two of the Flyer runs, while Nojiri crossed home plate once.

Lewis senior pitcher Kelly Bowler (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) earned the complete-game win for the Flyers, allowing one run and four hits. Bowler (17-12) fanning nine batters. Her counterpart Sarah Owens took the loss for the Screaming Eagles, surrendering four runs and seven hits in 7.2 innings pitched. Owens (11-5) struck out six Flyer batters.

USI senior first baseman Brooke Harmening went 2-for-3 and recorded the game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to push the contest into extra innings.

Lewis advances to play Illinois Springfield at 4 PM on Friday.