Lincoln University hosted Elizabeth City State University for their final two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) games of the 2019 season Monday afternoon.
 
Mother Nature, however,  threw a wicked curve ball and did its best to make the games challenging, even before they started.  Storms early Monday morning left the LU softball field, which does not have a tarp to cover it, in a quagmire and unplayable with puddles and mud throughout the infield.  Thus the games, which needed to be played, were moved to Maplezone Sports Institute in nearby Aston, Pennsylvania which boasts a turf field.
 
Both teams made the best of the relocation, playing in windy conditions with gusts up to 30 miles per hour.  ECSU however turned in the better performance on the afternoon, sweeping the Lions 16-0 and 14-0 with both games ending in five inning due to softball's eight-run rule. 
 
In the opener, the Lions had two hits in the five innings, both singles.  After getting the Vikings out in order in the first inning, Lincoln's DeeDee Irwin (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) recorded the first hit ofg the game, a one-out single through the middle of the infield.  Irwin proceeded to steal second and then third base but was unable to score.
 
The Vikings scored four times in the second and three more in the third to take a 7-0 lead.  In the bottom of the third Fifia Waithe (Bronx, N.Y. /Life Sciences Secondary) singled to open the inning and was replaced by Tierra Russaw (Westland, Mich. /Summit Academy) via a fielder's choice.  Russaw then stole second and third, and like Irwin in the first inning was stranded there.
 
ECSU pitcher Shea Vaccaro retired the Lions in order in the next two innings while the rest of the Vikings added nine more runs in the top of the fifth to make the final score 16-0. Vaccaro earned the win and helped her own cause with four RBI.  Sydney Smith and BryAn Loftus also had four RBI apiece, with Smith notching four hits.
 
Vaccaro also earned the win in game two as the Vikings struck for eight runs in the final at-bat to put the game out of reach, winning 14-0.
 
Lincoln had their best opportunity in their first at-bat as Irwin and Selena Mulet (Baltimore, Md. /Catholic HS of Baltimore) had back-to-back one-out singles.  A double steal moved both runners into scoring position but the Lions were unable to advance them any further.
 
Russaw had a single in the third inning and Jemiah Groce (Newark, Del. /Christiana) singled in the fourth to account for the Lions' remaining two hits on the afternoon.  On the defensive end, Ny'air Best (Burlington, N.J. /Burlington City) had three great catches in centerfield, preventing additional Viking runs.
 
Groce took the loss in the opener while Kyleigh Norwood (Falls Church, Va. /Fairmont Heights) took the loss in game two.
 
The Lions will host Trinity Washington University on Thursday, April 18, 2019 at the LU Softball Complex.  Weather could again be a factor so check on www.lulions.com for updated game day related information.