Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Tucson, Ariz. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team opened its 2015 spring trip schedule with a pair of wins Sunday.  The Eagles opened with a 6-2 victory over 16th-ranked Central College (Iowa) before earning a 15-1 win in five innings over Marian University (Wis.).  UW-L improves to 6-4 on the season.

UW-L took a 1-0 lead in the top of third inning in its win over Central (Iowa), tied for 16th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top-25 Poll.   The Eagles' Katrina O'Keefe singled to start the third and scored two outs later on Megan Nelson's triple.  The Dutch tied the game in the bottom of the third as Brooke Brommel scored on a UW-L error.

Central (Iowa) took a 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the fourth with another unearned run as Whitney Sowers scored the go-ahead run.  UW-L came right back in the top of the fifth with four runs to lead 5-2 as Central (Iowa) committed four errors in the frame.   Brooke Baldwin scored on a throwing error to tie the game after Brittney Baldwin's single.  Brittany Baldwin gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead scoring on Emily Holldorf's fielder's choice bunt.  Kelli Anderson later walked with the bases-loaded to score Holldorf and make it 4-2 and Kerrigan Koch's RBI single gave UW-L a 5-2 lead.  The Eagles added a run in the top of the seventh as Holldorf scored on a sacrifice fly from Alecia Faber.

Nelson earned the win for UW-L, pitching 4.1 innings.  She allowed three hits, two unearned runs and three walks while striking out seven.  Katie Klein picked up the save for the Eagles, going 2.2 innings, allowing three hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

O'Keefe finished 2-for-3 at the plate with one run scored while Holldorf scored twice.  The teams combined for 10 errors, four by UW-L and six by Central (Iowa).

This was the second meeting between the teams this season after Central (Iowa) earned a 5-4 victory over UW-L March 6 in Rochester, Minnesota.  The Eagles and Dutch face other Thursday, March 19 in Tucson.

UW-L scored 10 runs on 11 hits in the top of the first in its 15-1 victory over Marian (Wis.) Sunday.  Emilie Wiltzius started the scoring with an RBI single followed by a two-run Faber single for a 3-0 lead.  Brittany Baldwin and O'Keefe added run-scoring singles before Koch had a two-run single.  Nelson had an RBI double while Wiltzius and Faber finished the scoring with run-scoring singles. 

Marian (Wis.) scored its lone run in the bottom of the first on a Nicole LaBeck single to score Emily Gorges.

The Eagles added two runs in the top of third on RBI singles from Greta Gumness and Lane Dickman.  UW-L finished the scoring in the fifth on a Koch single and Sarah Mueller bases-loaded walk.

Jessie Carignan earned the win, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing five hits, one run aond one walk with two strikeouts.  Heather Grelle went 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and one walk with three strikeouts.

The Eagles totaled 19 hits in the win.  Koch and Wiltzius each went 3-for-5 while Holldorf, Nelson, Faber, Gumness and Brittany Baldwin each had two hits.  Koch and Faber finished with three RBI while Wiltzius and Gumness each had two.  Holldorf, Nelson and Wiltzius each scored twice.

UW-L returns to action Monday, March 16 with two games.  The Eagles face Crown College (Minn.) at 11 a.m. (Central) and Denison University (Ohio) at 1 p.m. (Central).