Avila Drops Final Conference Doubleheader at Friends

WICHITA, Kan. – Avila softball (29-18, 16-8 KCAC) closed out the KCAC portion of its 2023 schedule with a road doubleheader against Friends (32-10, 20-4 KCAC), where the (RV) Falcons asserted their claim as one of the top teams in the conference with a pair of victories on Thursday evening in Wichita.

The Falcons boast one of the hottest offenses in the KCAC, and the Eagles ran into that firsthand in game one Thursday. Avila scored first in game one when Chelsea Kurtz singled, stole second and scored on a Brooke Belflower base knock in the third inning, but then the Falcons totally took over, striking for eight runs in the bottom half of the frame to vault in front to a large early lead.

Becca Dunn then provided some crucial separation with a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and the Eagles could not mount a comeback against ace Laila Spracklen in the fifth, enabling Friends to pull out a 10-1 win in five innings in the series opener. Dunn drove in a total of five runs for the Falcons.

Friends' offense may be in-form, but Chaunelle Penn shut it down for the vast majority of game two, keeping the visitors in front for much of the game. Once again, the Eagles struck first: McKayla Cotton walked to lead off the second, and Maya Richards later smacked a single deep into the third base hole, scoring pinch-runner Ellysa Butterfield to open the scoring.

The next inning, the Eagles doubled the lead off Belle Schwien. Ka'Zem Wood singled to start the frame, and Stephanie Hayes smashed a double into the outfield fence to bring Wood in, making it 2-0 Eagles. Avila threatened in the fourth but could not score, but Penn was on a roll on the other side, allowing just one hit over the first five innings and nullifying Friends' offense.

But finally, the Falcons broke through. Vanessa Sigala led off the sixth with a hit and Fallyn Marshall walked, and even though Penn got two outs to move to the brink of escaping the inning, Spracklen, the two-way star, stepped up and launched a three-run homer to right, giving Friends the lead for the first time in the game. Spracklen then replaced Schwien in the circle and retired the Eagles in order in the seventh to pick up the save and preserve the 3-2 win, and a series sweep, for Friends.

The Eagles came into the day with a chance to finish as high as second in the final league standings, but with these two losses Avila must now wait on some other scores from around the final weekend of league play to determine when their first game at the KCAC Softball Championships will be. The Eagles' place in the eight-team field has been secure for weeks, but their seeding still needs to be determined. The final bracket will be unveiled by the KCAC on Sunday in advance of the tournament next week.

But first, Avila softball will play one final regular season doubleheader this Saturday, April 29, when the Eagles travel east to St. Louis for a non-conference tilt against Missouri Baptist. First pitch in the doubleheader is slated for noon; stay tuned to avilaathletics.com for details on how to watch and follow along.