May 6, 2007

Box Score

EAST PEORIA, Ill. - Kristy Vanek and Carla Musillo registered first-inning RBIs for No. 7 Lewis, but all-conference first-team pitcher Sabra McCune held the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way to help No. 13 Southern Illinois Edwardsville claim a 6-2 win and the Great Lakes Valley Conference title, Sunday afternoon at the Eastside Centre.

The Cougars (41-8) won the GLVC title for a second consecutive season, after defeating Lewis (34-12) in the conference championship game last year.

Southern Illinois Edwardsville took an early 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the first, but Lewis responded with two runs in the bottom half. With two on and nobody out, Vanek ripped an RBI single to center, and Musillo brought in another run from third when she grounded out to shortstop.

The game remained 2-1 Lewis until the top of the fourth when the Cougars registered another unearned run on a botched pick-off attempt at third.

SIUE took the lead for good in the fifth by hitting three singles for run one. The Cougars added two more in the sixth with a single followed by back-to-back doubles from Ashley Price and Libby Lenart. A solo home run from Nicole Beecher in the seventh accounted for the sixth run.

Lewis' best chances to score came in the fifth and sixth innings. The Flyers had two on with nobody out in both innings, but couldn't push across any runs. The Flyers stranded eight runners on base for the game.

Along with Vanek's first-inning single, Mallory Paine, Musillo, Courtney Lyons, Carissa Castonzo and Christina Willis all singled for the Flyers in the game.

McCune (15-5) struck out five while walking three to earn the win for the Cougars. Lyons (15-5) suffered the loss for Lewis.

The Flyers' season will continue next week, as Lewis has been named host for the 2007 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament. Regional games begin next Thursday. Pairings and game times will be announced late Sunday night.