PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie softball team hosted the Thomas More University Saints today for one of their final home stands of the 2025 season. Despite playing tight with the Saints, the Storm were unable to come out on top and dropped both games on the night.


GAME 1

THOMAS MORE - 7
LAKE ERIE - 3

It was a very tight game in Painesville for the first four innings against the visiting Saints. Thomas More got off to an early 1-0 lead in the first but the Storm tied in back up in the second on a sacrifice fly by Madi Eckert, scoring Emma Spahr.

Across the next two innings both teams would go three-up-three-down with the exception of a walk in the fourth by Jasmine Gonzales.

In the top of the fifth, the Saints tacked on two more on a double to right center field. Kai Mortensen locked in after that and struck out her next batter before retiring the following one.

Despite threatening in the bottom half of the inning, the Storm could not get a runner across and in the top of the sixth, the Saints tacked on four more to take a 7-1 lead.

Lake Erie did not go down without a fight though. In the bottom of the inning, they put together walks and stolen bases to set up Maddie Pawlak for a two-run single up the middle.

This was all the Storm managed to get though and they fell 7-3 in game one.

Pawlak recorded a multi hit game by going 2-for-3 while Peyton Powers and Spahr accounted for the other hits.

Mortensen ended with a line of five innings pitched, giving up seven hits, four earned runs, and striking out two while walking one. 

WP: Gottlieb (2-4)
LP: Kai Mortensen (1-15)


GAME 2

THOMAS MORE - 13
LAKE ERIE - 7

The two sides traded first inning runs to begin game two and the Saints tacked on two more in the third and one more in the fourth. Down 4-1 at this point, the Storm would march into the bottom of the inning and take the lead.

Madi Eckert started things off with an RBI ground out which scored Tarryn Morris. Maddie Pawlak then came up with a big RBI double which scored Sydney Taylor. Peyton Powers, CJ Garcia, and Emma Spahr would all each drive in a runner with RBI singles and the inning would end with the Storm on top, 6-4.

Both teams went scoreless in the fifth but in the sixth, the wheels fell off for the Storm and the Saints scored eight in the inning. Each side scored once more and the final score would read 13-7 in favor of Thomas More.

As a team, Lake Erie had eight errors which resulted in eight earned runs out of the 13 scored for the Saints.

Offensively, Spahr went 3-for-4 while Powers and Pawlak each went 2-for-4. Lily Turkowski, Garcia, Taylor, and Eckert all accounted for the remaining hits. Garcia and Spahr would each also drive in two runs in the game.

WP: B. LeMay (1-0)
LP: Addison Nugent (0-15)


Looking Ahead
Storm softball will have a quick turnaround and be back in action tomorrow, April 18th against the Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers for senior day. The games will start at 1 p.m. with festivities starting just before that.