Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Rochester, Minn. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team opened its 2016 season with a pair of wins Sunday at the Rochester Regional Stadium and Bubble. The Eagles earned a 10-4 victory over The College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) and a 14-1 win (five innings) over Martin Luther College (Minn.).

With the two victories, UWL head coach Chris Helixon earned his 299th and 300th career win as a collegiate head coach.  In his 11th season at UWL, Helixon has compiled a 248-159 (.609) record. He is 300-243-1 (.552) in 16 seasons as a head coach after serving as head coach at Viterbo University (Wis.) from 1998-2002 and compiling a 52-84-1 record.

UWL scored three runs in the top of the first in its win over St. Scholastica (Minn.) on a two-run double from Emilie Wiltzius and RBI double from Syndey Murphy.  The Saints came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Eagles tallied three times in the top of the third for a 6-2 advantage.  Ashley Lindstrom scored on a RBI groundout from Murphy while two runs scored on errors.

St. Scholastica (Minn.) made it 6-4 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth before UWL scored the final three runs of the game.  Megan Nelson scored on an error and Murphy came in on a Katie Klein double.  Lindstrom had an RBI single in the sixth while Wiltzius drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.

Klein (1-0) earned the win for UWL, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, four runs and three walks while striking out two.  The Eagles finished with 11 hits as Alecia Faber went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Murphy and Lindstrom each finished 2-for-4 with a run scored while Murphy had two RBI.  Wiltzius had a game-high three RBI.

Chrisi Mizera suffered the loss for St. Scholastica (Minn.), going 6.1 innings, allowing 11 hits, 10 runs (eight earned) and four walks with three strikeouts. Alexa Bremer went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.

Versus Martin Luther (Minn.), UWL scored five times in the bottom of the first inning with Faber, Wiltzius, Lindstrom, Nelson and Brittany Baldwin each recording an RBI.  The Eagles added a run in the bottom of the second on Shelby Beckman's RBI single to make it 6-0.

The Eagles tallied four runs in the third and fourth innings. Erin Maletzke and Faber each had one RBI while Sarah Mueller had a pair of RBI in the third.  Katrina O'Keefe, Kerrigan Koch, Maletzke and Sydney Schemenauer each recorded RBI hits in the fourth.  Martin Luther (Minn.) scored its run in the top of the fourth.

Jessie Carignan (1-0) picked up the victory for UWL, going 4.0 innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run while striking out seven.  The Eagles totaled 14 hits in the win as Koch, Lindstrom, Beckman and Baldwin each had two hits.  Koch and Maletzke each scored three times while Maletzke, Faber and Mueller each had two RBI.

Kelli Doell took the loss for Martin Luther (Minn.), pitching 3.0 innings, allowing nine hits, 10 runs (five earned) and three walks with one strikeout. Janelle Radue recorded the Knights' RBI.

UWL returns to action Sunday, March 13 with a doubleheader versus Denison University (Ohio) to open its spring trip in Tucson, Arizona.