LEXINGTON – Over the last three games for the Minutemaids softball team, the girls were outscored 29-0 and all three games ended by the run rule.
Lexington shook off the cobwebs Thursday night, as pitching and clutch hitting were the key as the Maids won their first games of the season, sweeping Grand Island Northwest 12-5 and 9-8.
In Game 1, Sally Homan took the mound for the Maids and put on a clinic, not allowing an earned run all contest.
Head coach Cory Spotanski was pleased with the victory, but still knows   there is work to be done.
“Take the errors out of the equation and we’re in pretty good shape,” Spotanski said. “We have a 12-0 win and we would be done in five innings. We need to minimize the errors and our defense needs to step up.”
Lexington fell behind early but the strong pitching of Homan kept the Maids in the game. In the second inning, Molly Woockman, Erin Monter and Kaitlyn Schultze each scored runs to bring the Maids closer to Northwest.
Finally, Homan along with Woockman scored to even things up, then a four-run fourth inning put the Minutemaids ahead for good.
Homan was credited with the Game 1 victory, pitching a complete game. KJ Heusinkvelt finished 2 for 4 with two doubles in Game 1, while Woockman also finished 2 for 4.
In Game 2, Lexington began the game out in front as the Maids racked up five runs in the first inning, as Heusinkvelt and Halle Gydesen hit back-to-back doubles.
Northwest crept back into the ball game late, taking a 6-5 lead, but the Lexington rally wasn’t over.
Heading into the final inning, the game was tied up at 8-8, when Erin Monter started the inning off with a single to put the winning run on base. After a sacrifice fly by Sadie Schwarz to move Monter into scoring position, Lindsie Woolley singled to reach base and move Monter within a few feet of a sweep of the Vikings.  Heusinkvelt became the hero of Game 2, as she singled to bring in Monter and giving Lexington their second straight win, as Monter was the winning pitcher for the contest.
The Maids will host the Lexington-Holdrege Classic all day today at the Optimist Complex, starting by taking on Alliance at 8 a.m.

• Lexington Minutemen

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