SOFTBALL WINS TWO MORE IN WICHITA, SWEEPS FRIENDS INVITE

WICHITA, Kan. – Avila softball picked up two more big wins on Sunday at the Friends University Invitational, sweeping the tournament and stretching their winning streak to five.

In game number one on Sunday, the Eagles used a late-game comeback to come away with a high-scoring 11-10 win over Peru State.

In the first inning, Stephanie Hayes blasted a three-run home run to open the scoring. Two batters later, Abi Beaman scored Jaka Sharp on an RBI single.

Peru State answered back immediately, scoring four of their own in the top of the second and two more in the third.

Avila scored one each in the second and third on a Ka'Zem Wood run in the second and a Wood RBI single in the third.

Peru State scored four in the fifth on two errors by the Eagles. Holding a 10-6 lead through five, the Bobcats appeared to have the game in hand.

In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Avila used a Beaman RBI single and back-to-back bases loaded walks followed by a run-scoring wild pitch to tie the game at 10.

McKayla Cotton pitched two perfect innings in the sixth and seventh to set the Eagles up to win the game in the bottom half of the seventh inning.

Fresh off the strong pitching performance, Cotton led the inning off with a single through the left side. A wild pitch saw Cotton advance to third, which set up a Hayes walk to put runners on the corner.

Jaka Sharp stepped to the plate to end the game with a walk-off RBI single to score Cotton.

Game one went to the Eagles, 11-10 on a furious late-game comeback.

Avila faced a tough Hastings team in the second game, but would put the game away early without the late-inning drama.

Scoring four in the top of the first saw familiar faces help the offense.

Hayes started the scoring with an RBI single, Myra Megli followed that up with an RBI double and the next batter, Sharp – fresh off her walk-off single – scored Megli on a two-run home run.

Through one, Avila held a 4-1 lead.

Julia Douglass and Deja Gardenhire recorded RBIs in the second and third to wrap up Avila's six-run effort on the day.

Gardenhire threw 4.2 quality innings - picking up her first win in an Avila uniform - allowing just two runs and McKayla Cotton recorded a two-inning save without allowing a run to cap off the win.

Avila will look to extend its winning streak to six games when they travel to Lindsborg, Kan., to take on Bethany in a doubleheader beginning at 2 PM on Wednesday.

(photo credit: Issy Aguilar)