Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team earned a doubleheader split with fourth-ranked Luther College (Iowa) Tuesday afternoon at North Campus Field.  The Norse, ranked fourth on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top-25 Poll, won the opener, 2-0, before the Eagles came back to take the nightcap, 7-5.  UW-L is now 19-7 on the season while Luther is 30-2.

In the opener, Luther's Amanda Witzlib (14-1) earned the win, pitching the complete-game shutout.  She went 7.0 innings, allowing two hits while striking out 15.  The Norse scored the only runs of the game in the top of the sixth.  Anna Strien was hit-by-pitch to start the inning followed by a Lindsey Uphoff single.  Miranda McCay then doubled to knock in Strien and Uphoff.

Four different players had a hit for Luther.

Jessie Carignan (6-2) suffered the loss for UW-L, also pitching a complete-game.  She went 7.0 innings, allowing four hits and two runs with four strikeouts.

Megan Nelson and Greta Gumness each had a hit for the Eagles.  Nelson tripled with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but was stranded after a pair of strikeouts.  Gumness recorded a pinch-hit single with two outs in the seventh inning, but Witzlib finished the game with her 15th strikeout.

Luther took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first in the nightcap as Carli Radil doubled with two outs and scored on a Alise Miller single.  UW-L came right back in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs.  Emily Holldorf, Nelson and Emilie Wiltzius singled with one out to load the bases.  Alecia Faber followed with a two-run single scoring Holldorf and Nelson for a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles added two more runs in the bottom of the second.  Lane Dickman reached first on a wild pitch after striking out to lead-off the inning.  After Brittney Baldwin's sacrifice bunt moved Dickman to second, Gumness drew a walk.  After a fly out, Nelson followed with a two-run double scoring Dickman and Gumness to give UW-L a 4-1 advantage.

The Norse cut the deficit to 4-3 with two runs in the top of the fourth on back-to-back RBI doubles from Strien and Ashley Burrows.  The Eagles got one of the runs back in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-3 as Wiltzius scored on Kelli Anderson's sacrifice bunt.

Luther tied the game in the top of the sixth on Hilliary Pennington's RBI single and Radil's run-scoring double.  The Norse had the bases-loaded with one out in the inning, but Carignan got Miller to ground into a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.  UW-L regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth.  Gumness opened the frame with a single and advanced to second on Holldorf's sacrifice bunt.  Nelson then walked and Wiltzius flied out for the second out of the inning.  Faber followed with a two-run double to left center field knocking in Gumness and Nelson for a 7-5 Eagles' lead.

Carignan (7-2) earned the win in relief, pitching 1.2 innings.  Heather Grelle started for the Eagles, going 2.0 innings, allowing three hits and one run with one strikeout.

Faber finished 3-for-4 with four RBI in the nightcap while Nelson went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.  Wiltzius finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Witzlib (14-2) took the loss in relief for Luther, going 2.0 innings, allowing three hits, two runs and two walks while striking out three.  Topaanga Skiles started for the Norse, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing five hits, four runs and one walk with one strikeout.

Radil and Strien each finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI.

UW-L returns to action Thursday, April 16 at UW-Platteville at 3 p.m.