PEORIA, Ill. – The Alverno softball team scored eight runs on Friday morning, as the Inferno took on the Knox Prairie Fire at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in central Illinois. The Prairie Fire picked up the win by the score of 23-8.
 
Alverno picked up 13 hits on the game as senior Natalie Akin, junior Izzy Torres, and sophomores Lexi Hess, Lily Kostka and Andrea Ramirez all had multi-hit efforts in the bout. Junior Ashley Flores, and freshman Samantha Vinti and Cora Younk each had hits on the day, including the first of her career for Younk.
 
Torres had a two-run single to lead the Inferno with two RBIs on the game, while Akin, Flores, Kostka, Ramirez and Younk all had one RBI apiece. Hess, Ramirez and Torres each crossed the plate twice, while Kostka and freshman Ana Martinez also scored one run in the effort. Hess also recorded the team's lone stolen base on the contest.
 
In the circle, Torres tossed the first three innings on 96 pitches before sophomore Maggie Wilmot closed out the game with the final inning of work.
 
Alverno's offense got started in the top of the third as Kostka led things off with a single, three batters later with two outs, Hess reached on an infield single while Ramirez singled to load the bases. Torres singled through the opposite side to plate the first two, followed by a single by Akin up the middle to score the third run.
 
Junior Ziri-Hernandez-Bustos ran for Akin just ahead of Vinti's single up the middle scored Torres, as the Prairie Fire committed a defensive error on the play to give the Inferno four runs.
 
In the fifth inning, Hess got the rally started with an infield single before swiping second to put a runner in scoring position. Ramirez sent a ball up the middle to plate Hess before Torres and Akin followed with singles to load the bases. Flores flared a single to shortstop to bring home Ramirez, before Kostka singled to score Torres.
 
Two batters later, Younk singled into left field to drive home Martinez, who was running for Akin with the eighth Inferno run.
 
Alverno (0-3) will be in action later this afternoon, when the team takes on the Augustana (Ill.) Vikings with game action slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. from the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria, Illinois.