Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 River Falls, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team earned a doubleheader sweep at UW-River Falls Friday afternoon.  The Eagles took the opener, 6-3, and the nightcap, 9-1.  UW-L improves to 21-9 overall and 9-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while UW-River Falls drops to 15-22 overall and 2-12 in the conference.

With the wins, UW-L records its seventh straight season with at least 20 victories.

In the opener, UW-L took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Erin Maletzke singled to start the game and advanced to third after a pair of groundouts.  She then scored on Lindsey Sheehan's RBI single. 

The Eagles added three runs in the top of the third inning.  Alecia Faber and Katie Fink singled to start the inning with both runners moving up on Sheehan's sacrifice bunt.  Emilie Wiltzius was then intentionally walked to load the bases.  Faber was forced out at home on Megan Nelson's fielder's choice for the second out of the inning.  Kelli Anderson drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Fink to make it 2-0.  Lane Dickman followed with a two-run single knocking in Wiltzius and Nelson for a 4-0 advantage.

UW-River Falls came right back in the bottom of the third with three runs of its own.  Ali Murray hit a solo home run with one out to make it 4-1.  Kati Stodolka later doubled with two outs and scored on Sarah Bohlen's two-run home run. 

UW-L extended its lead to 6-3 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth.  Wiltzius singled with out one and was replaced by pinch-runner Jenny Gallagher, who advanced to second on Nelson's groundout for the second out.  Anderson drew a walk followed by a two-run double from Dickman to give the Eagles a 6-3 lead. 

Jessie Carignan (6-2) earned the win for UW-L, pitching 4.0 innings in relief.  She allowed two hits while striking out three.  Nelson started for the Eagles, going 3.0 innings, allowing five hits and three runs with one strikeout.  Dickman finished 3-for-3 with four RBI while six other players had at one hit.

Lauren Janssen (6-6) suffered the loss for UW-River Falls, going 1.2 innings, allowign four hits and one run.  Stodolka and Morris each went 2-for-3 while Bohlen had two RBI.

In the nightcap, UW-L took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on RBI singles from Kallie Krech and Emily Holldorf.  UW-River Falls cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth on Brooke Lauritzen's solo home run.  UW-L regained a two-run lead in the top of the fifth as Krech scored on a UW-River Falls throwing error.

The Eagles addd five runs in the sixth to take a 8-1 advantage.  Mary Kate Pryor and Fink each had an RBI single while Faber hit a three-run double.  UW-L finished the scoring in the seventh on Faber's single knocking in Anderson.

Carignan (7-2) also picked up the win in the second game Friday, pitching 3.1 innings in relief.  She allowed one hit and one walk with one strikeout.  Heather Grelle started for the Eagles, going 3.2 innings, allowing two hits, one run and two walks while striking out three. Krech finished 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI while Faber went 2-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored.  Holldorf and Fink added two hits each.  Pryor scored two runs.

Lauritzen (3-8) took the loss for UW-River Falls, going 5.1 innings, allowing six hits, six runs (two earned) and one walk with two strikeouts.  Sarah Sorensen went 2-for-3 for the Falcons.

UW-L returns to action Saturday, April 26 at UW-Stout starting at 2 p.m.