Aviles and Smith Hit the Long Ball in Road Sweep

Winter Haven, Fla. – Pitching was the name of the game for the Lake-Sumter State College softball team Tuesday against Polk State, collecting two wins on the road.

Freshman, Peyton Chestnutt took the circle in game one of the double header. Her team gave her the lead early, starting with a solo home run off the bat of Genesis Aviles in the top of the second inning. Amanda Quinby also came around to score in that inning giving the Lakehawks a 2-0 lead.

The Eagles managed to bring two runs around in the fourth to knot things up at 2-2. A three-run fifth inning gave LSSC some breathing room before Brandi Davis took over in the circle. The sophomore went 3 2/3 innings without allowing a run and striking out three. Davis earned her third victory of the season.

Casey Allen went 2 for 4 and added two stolen bases to her season total. Alyssa Woolums also added two hits while Jennifer Bryant had a double and an RBI in the 5-2 victory.

Sophomore transfer, Sarah Grindrod got the ball in game two against her former team and made the most of her time in the circle. The righty tossed four innings giving up one unearned run, one walk and collecting one strikeout. Her teammates were able to scrape across one run in the second inning and another in the third for a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth, Bailee Sims was hit by a pitch with bases loaded getting an RBI the hard way for her team. Pinch hitter, Chestnutt walked in the next at-bat to add another insurance run. Polk State refused to go away and added a run of their own in the bottom half. Holding onto a 4-2 lead in the sixth, Nicole Smith blasted a full count screwball over the left field fence for a two run shot. The Lakehawks added one more in the top of the seventh inning to help out the reliever, Kayla Reichardt.

Reichardt tossed the final three innings of the ball game, allowing just two hitters to reach base. The freshman earned her first save of her collegiate career with Grindrod picking up the win, 7-2.

Emily Kolwicz, Brittany Shirley, Bryant and Allen all contributed two-hit performances. Allen added a triple to her stat line while Larkyn Coleman was 1 for 1 with a pinch hit double off the wall to bring around Aviles from first.

Lake-Sumter (4-2) will be back at home Friday against St. Pete College (6-2). Game one of the double header will start at 1 pm.