LINCOLN, Neb. – The Omaha softball team dropped its series finale to Western Illinois Sunday afternoon, falling 5-1 at Bowlin Stadium.
Payton Abbot (3-5) earned the win for WIU, allowing one run on two hits, no walks and nine strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work. Sophomore right-hander Laura Roecker (5-11) took the loss, surrendering four runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
Junior Kelly Pattison led the Mavericks offensively, finishing 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Senior Nicole Warren went 1-for-3, while freshman Vicky Kinney scored a run.
WIU totaled nine hits for the day, led by two apiece from Abbott (2-for-3), Nina Maggio (2-for-4, one run) and Halle Hollatz (2-for-3, one run, two RBI). Aly Compton finished 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Western Illinois took the lead in the second inning on two hits. Hollatz led off with a single and came in on Compton's two-run blast to left field for a 2-0 Leatherneck lead.
Omaha got a run back in the fourth inning on a hit and an error. Pattison lined a double to center field allowing Kinney to score from first.
The Leathernecks added two runs on three hits in the fifth, and another run in the sixth for a 5-1 lead. Abbott retired nine of the final 10 batters she faced to earn the victory.
The Mavericks are now 9-23 (0-3 Summit League) on the season, while the Leathernecks improve to 14-20 (5-1 Summit League).
Omaha continues Summit League play next weekend, visiting South Dakota for a three-game road series. The Mavericks open the weekend on Saturday, April 8, with a doubleheader in Vermillion, S.D. starting at noon. Links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.
