UW-La Crosse 10, UW-River Falls 9

UW-La Crosse 12, UW-Superior 2 (5 innings)

Oshkosh, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team earned a pair of wins Saturday at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament in Oshkosh. The top-seeded Eagles earned an 10-9 victory over sixth-seeded UW-River Falls in their first game before coming back to pick up a 12-2 win in five innings over fourth-seeded UW-Superior. Both games were played at Oshkosh North High School.

UW-L, ranked 20th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Poll, improve to 34-6 on the season. The Eagles will face second-seeded UW-Eau Claire in a winner's bracket contest Sunday, May 9 at 9 a.m. at the Oshkosh Sports Complex.

The winner of the WIAC Tournament receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

In their win over UW-River Falls, Lauren Schaller hit a one-out walk-off RBI single to score Cheri Pertzborn in the bottom of the seventh. Kelsey Golackson opened the inning with a single for the Eagles and was replaced by pinch-runner Pertzborn. Katie Pietrowiak then sacrificed Pertzborn to second setting up Schaller's game-winning hit.

UW-River Falls scored four runs in the top of the fourth on Jessie Bester's grand slam to make it 4-1. UW-L came back to score seven times in the bottom of the inning to lead 8-4. Rachel Weyer had a three-run double for the Eagles while Katie Keyes hit a two-run home run.

The Falcons took a 9-8 lead with five runs in the sixth, four of them being unearned. The Eagles tied it in the bottom of the sixth as Jenna Ahnen scored on a passed ball.

Lacey Probst (7-3) picked up the win, pitching 1.2 innings, allowing three hits, two runs (both unearned) and one walk while striking out two. Ashley Veroeven started for UW-L, going 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, seven runs (five earned) and five walks with six strikeouts.

Ahnen, Keyes and Rachel Croak each had two hits for the Eagles while Weyer and Keyes had three RBI.

UW-L jumped out quickly in its 12-2 victory over UW-Superior, scoring four runs in the top of the first; five in the second and three in the third. Cara Salm hit a two-run single in the first while adding a two-run double in the second inning. Schaller hit a solo home run in the second.

Salm hit her school record 18th career home run in the third inning scoring Ahnen who had an RBI single earlier in the inning.

UW-Superior scored its two runs in the fourth on Taylor VanDamme's two-run home run.

Heather Schultz (20-2) earned the victory for UW-L. She pitched 3.0 innings, allowing one hit while striking out eight. Veroeven pitched 2.0 innings, allowing two hits and two runs with three strikeouts.

Salm was 3-for-4 with three runs and six RBI while Croak and Ahnen each had three hits and scored three times. Golackson added two RBI.

UW-L returns to action Sunday, May 9 at 9 a.m. in the WIAC Tournament. The Eagles face UW-Eau Claire at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Sports Complex.