The Hawkeye softball team is now 4-2 on the season after a shutout victory by Chelsea Lyon on Friday morning.
Lyon threw the complete game to improve to 2-0 on the season. She allowed just three hits and struck out seven in the win as the Hawkeyes downed Dayton, 3-0, in the first round of the Lovelace Invitational at Lovelace Stadium on the campus of the University of North Texas.
Dayton was playing in its season opener.
The Hawkeyes got some clutch hitting in the game, including a triple by Johnnie Dowling in the bottom of the first. Bradi Wall knocked Dowling in with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.
“We came out and attacked early,” said UI head coach Marla Looper. “That is what we talked about after last weekend; go out and set the tone, and attack offensively, defensively, and in the circle. We did that. Johnnie started us off with that triple to open the game. That got the momentum heading our way with a nice scoring opportunity early on.”
Freshman Sammi Gyerman also had a big hit as her bases-loaded single improved the lead to 3-0. The hit scored Michelle Zoeller from second and Brianna Luna from third. It was the first two RBIs of Gyerman’s career.
“Sammi did a nice job,” said Looper. “In her first at bat, she was trying to do a little too much, as were a few of the hitters because they felt they could. She took a deep breath and knew we needed to put the ball in play. She did a nice job staying through that pitch to score a couple runs.”
Lyon moved into 10th in school history with 294 career strikeouts.
“Chelsea went right after those hitters today and pounded the zone,” said Looper. “She gave us a chance to play some easy defense.”
Dayton starter Kayla English began a Flyers game for the first time this season and took the loss, allowing three runs on two hits in six innings.
“Definitely, a solid victory,” said Looper. “It was a good start to the weekend, but it is just the beginning. You cannot win them all unless you win the first win, so it was a nice way to start.”
Iowa continues play in the Lovelace Invitational today against Oklahoma State. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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