ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Rockford University softball team took one of two from the NACC-leading and defending conference champion Dominican University Stars on Tuesday. The Regents were shutout 5-0 in the opener, as Rockford had just four hits in the entire game. Fortunately, the RU offense woke up for the nightcap. Rockford plated runs in each of the first three innings to leap out to a 4-0 advantage. Senior starting pitcher
Kariana Williams took if from there, tossing her ninth complete game of the season, to help the Regents earn a hard-fought 4-2 victory.
Game 1
- The opener was dominated by the pitching staffs from both Rockford and Dominican. The Regents and Stars combined to allow no earned runs and strikeout 11 batters.
- RU starter Bella Lima had a shutout through three innings and allowed just one Star hit, as the game entered the fourth still scoreless.
- The top of the fourth seemed to get off to a good start. Olivia Lysaght walked, and then Kariana Williams doubled to put runners on second and third with no one out. Unfortunately, the next three batters went down in order, and Rockford stranded both runners.
- The Stars then proceeded to plate a pair of unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning to grab a 2-0 lead.
- Dominican added three more unearned runs in bottom of the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 advantage.
- The Regents had just two batters reach base over the final two innings, as Dominican took game one by a final score of 5-0.
Game 2
- Rockford scored in each of the first three innings in game two to jump out to a 4-0 lead.
- The Regents began the game with a single run off two hits in the top of the first. Chayton Krueger got things started with a leadoff single and then advanced to second on a Dominican error. Three batters later, Payton Willenkamp delivered a clutch two-out RBI single to left to put the Regents in front 1-0.
- Rockford extended its advantage to 2-0 after adding another single run in the top of the second. Following a Bella Lima single and a Nicole Paris walk, Chayton Krueger laced an RBI double into left, scoring Lima, and giving Rockford a two-run lead.
- The Regents would then double their lead with a two-run third inning. Payton Willenkamp doubled and then scored on a Star error to make it a 3-0 game. Following a pair of strikeouts, Bella Lima doubled in a run to put her team out in front by a score of 4-0.
- Four runs seemed to be more than enough for RU starting pitcher Kariana Williams. Williams kept the Stars off the scoreboard and surrendered just one hit through three innings.
- However, Dominican finally broke through with a pair of runs off two hits in the bottom of the fourth to cut the RU lead in half.
- Fortunately, Williams dominated Dominican over the final three innings. The senior surrendered just one hit the rest of the way, retiring nine of the final ten batters she faced, including eight straight at one point.
- The 4-2 win means the Regents have now split their regular season series with the top team in the NACC in each of the last two seasons.
Game 1
- Bella Lima got the start and went 5 innings inside the circle. She scattered 5 hits and allowed no earned runs, while striking out 4 Stars.
- Kariana Williams went 1-for-3 with a double.
- Makayla Howard was 1-for-2 with a walk.
Game 2
- Kariana Williams fired her team-leading ninth complete game of the season. Williams tossed 7 innings, allowed just 4 hits and 2 runs and struck out a pair of batters.
- Chayton Krueger finished 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
- Payton Willenkamp went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
- Bella Lima was 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
