Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Tucson, Ariz. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team extended its winning streak to four games with a pair of wins Monday in the Tucson Invitational Games.  The Eagles earned a 14-1 victory in five innings over Crown College (Minn.) and a 5-4 win over Denison University (Ohio).  UW-L improves to 8-4 on the season.

In the win over Crown (Minn.), UW-L tallied four times in the bottom of the first inning on one hit.  Sarah Mueller drew a bases-loaded walk to score Emily Holldorf with the first run of the game.  Greta Gumness and Emilie Wiltzius scored on a Crown (Minn.) error for a 3-0 lead and Brittany Baldwin had an RBI single to knock in Mueller with the final run of the frame.

The Eagles added a run in the bottom of the second as Kerrigan Koch scored on a Gumness single.  UW-L made it 10-0 with five runs in the third inning on Katrina O'Keefe's three-run double and Koch's two-run home run.

Crown (Minn.) got on the board in the top of the fourth as Janelle Williams came in on an RBI single from Cassidy Valenzuela.  UW-L finished the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Shelby Beckman scored on a wild pitch while Erin Maletzke and Katie Nachtigal each had RBI singles.  Mueller was hit-by-pitch with the bases-loaded with the final run.

Heather Grelle earned the win for UW-L, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out four.  Jessie Carignan pitched 1.0 inning, allowing one hit with one strikeout.

The Eagles finished with 14 hits as seven starters recorded at least one.  Koch was 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI while Maletzke and Baldwin each went 2-for-2 with an RBI and run scored.  Gumness finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI.  O'Keefe had a team-high three RBI while Lane Dickman scored twice.

Versus Denison (Ohio), UW-L took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.  Kelli Anderson was hit-by-pitch with the bases-loaded to score Holldorf and Megan Nelson scored on a Denison (Ohio) error.  The Big Red came back in the bottom of the first with a run on as Julie Rooney scored on a wild pitch. 

Denison (Ohio) took a 4-2 lead on Ryan Lee's three-run home run in the bottom of the third.  UW-L cut the deficit to 4-3 in the top of the fourth on Alecia Faber's single to knock in Brooke Baldwin and the Eagles tied the game in the top of the fifth with Brittany Baldwin scored on Holldorf's single.

UW-L took a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh.  Anderson walked to start the inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Maletzke.  Mary Kate Pryor's sacrifice bunt moved Maletzke to second with one out.  Kendra Brown followed with a single and after a ground out, UW-L had runners on second and third.  Koch then singled to score Maletzke with the go-ahead run.  Denison (Ohio) got two runners on base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Nelson retired Mckinly Vazquez on a fielder's choice to end the game.

Nelson picked up the win for UW-L, pitching 4.2 innings in relief.  She allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two.  Katie Klein started, going 2.1 innings, allowing four hits, four runs and three walks with two strikeouts.

The Eagles totaled 11 hits in the game as Koch and Holldorf both went 3-for-5 with an RBI.  Holldorf also scored once.  Brown finished 2-for-3.

UW-L returns to action Tuesday, March 17 with two games.  The Eagles face Edgewood College (Wis.) at 11 a.m. (Central) and the University of Puget Sound (Wash.) at 1 p.m. (Central).