By By DAN WEISS / Niles Daily Star
The Niles varsity softball team split its fifth and sixth games of the week Thursday evening against Battle Creek Lakeview.
The Vikings are now 9-4 overall and the Spartans are 15-4.
Niles had to come back from a 4-3 deficit to win the first game, 7-4, then came up short in a comeback bid in the second game and suffered a 5-4 setback.
Lary's only hit of the game brought in the game-winning run while Gross and Lindsay Carey each hit three singles. Kate Whittaker, Stephanee Schrader, Julie Kater and Kari Eckstein hit one single apiece.
Eckstein improved to 5-2 with the pitching victory as she gave up just six hits.
The Vikings found themselves trailing 5-1 in the fifth inning of the second game and went on the comeback trail again, but managed just three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Eckstein led the hitting attack with a single and a double while Ashton Parks and Whittaker each hit two singles. Carey added a single.
Julie Kater suffered the pitching loss in the second game, dropping her record to 4-2 on the year.
Niles returns to action today as it hosts Coloma in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m.