Basket’s Complete Game, Sixth-Inning Outburst Power Blue Devils Past IU South Bend, 9–2

VIERA WEST, Fla. — A five-run eruption in the sixth inning backed a standout complete game from junior right-hander Sarah Basket as Lawrence Tech rolled to a 9–2 win over Indiana University South Bend on Saturday night at the Space Coast Complex in game two of a doubleheader on the Blue Devils’ spring break trip.

Basket, a P/DP from Essexville, Mich., did damage in the circle and at the plate. She opened the decisive sixth with a solo home run to left, sparking a rally that turned a tight 3–0 game into an 8–0 cushion. In the circle, she went the distance, allowing six hits and two earned runs over 7.0 innings while striking out five on 104 pitches.

Lawrence Tech’s offense pounded out 15 hits and applied steady pressure throughout. The Blue Devils struck first in the second inning when Alexis Lana grounded out to short, scoring Sara Essenmacher for a 1–0 lead. After Basket kept IU South Bend off the board through five frames, the Blue Devils broke through for a two-run fifth. Lana reached and came around on an RBI double from outfielder Alyssa Bloomfield, who then scored on a single from outfielder Brenna Crittenden to make it 3–0.

The Blue Devils broke the game open in the sixth. After Basket’s leadoff homer, Lawrence Tech strung together four more hits in the inning, including singles from catcher Emmie Fowler, Lana and utility player Ashley Stafford. An IU South Bend miscue helped extend the frame, and the Blue Devils cashed in, sending nine batters to the plate and pushing five runs across for an 8–0 advantage.

IU South Bend answered with single runs in each of the final two innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Ella Chelminiak grounded out to drive in Mikayla La Bounty, who had reached earlier, trimming the deficit to 8–1. Lawrence Tech countered with a run in the top of the seventh to reach nine runs on the night, before La Bounty singled home Savannah Hamilton in the bottom half for the Titans’ final run.

Bloomfield, an outfielder from Mattawan, Mich., headlined a deep Lawrence Tech lineup by going 3-for-5 with two RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases as the Blue Devils swiped four bags as a team. Crittenden, an outfielder/middle infielder from Springport, Mich., added three hits, an RBI and two steals, while Lana finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, two runs and a walk from the top of the order. Stafford chipped in a 2-for-3 effort with two RBI to round out the multi-hit performances.

Defensively, the Blue Devils committed just one error and stranded five IU South Bend runners behind Basket’s efficient outing. With the victory, Lawrence Tech closed the nightcap of the Saturday doubleheader on a strong note and continued to build momentum midway through its spring break schedule at the Space Coast Complex.