Rochester, Minn. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team dropped a pair of games to open its 2018 season at the Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) Dome Saturday night. The Eagles fell 4-3 to Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) and 6-3 to College of Saint Benedict (Minn.).

Versus Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.), UWL took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Sydney Murphy doubled to start the game and after advancing to third on Brittany Baldwin's sacrifice bunt, scored on Grace Mindrup's single. Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) tied the game in the bottom of the inning as Sidney Welp scored on Aly Freeman's RBI double.

The Gusties took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second with Welp scoring an unearned run after an Eagles' error.

UWL took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of runs. Haley Radewan singled with one out and advanced to second on an error. Kathryn Vander Schaaf followed with a single to score Radewan to tie the game at 2-2. Morgann Harbort replaced Vander Schaaf as a pinch runner and scored on Kerrigan Koch's two-out double. 

Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) tallied two runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth. Sarah Pederson scored on Welp's single to tie it at 3-3 and Emily Webb later scored the eventual game-winning run on Emily Carlson's two-out infield single.

Katie Klein (0-1) took the loss for UWL, pitching 2.2 innings, allowing four hits and two runs. She walked six and struck out six. Sydne Shattuck started for the Eagles, going 3.1 innings, allowing four hits, two runs (both unearned) and four walks while striking out four.

The Eagles finished with eight hits with Murphy finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored.

In the loss against Saint Benedict (Minn.), UWL took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Sarah Stewart drew a bases-loaded walk to score Murphy. Saint Benedict (Minn.) tied the game in the top of the second on Madison Mikolich's RBI single. CBS scored four runs on four hits in the top of the third for a 5-1 lead, highlighted by Claire Boatman's two-run single.

Emilie Antony's single in the top of the fifth gave Saint Benedict (Minn.) a 6-1 advantage. UWL scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 6-3. Stewart drew another bases-loaded walk to score Brittany Baldwin and Maddy Kromke scored on a Mia Schmidtke single.

Caitlyn Hughes (0-1) suffered the loss for UWL, pitching a complete-game. She went 7.0 innings, allowing 10 hits, six runs and one walk while striking out two.

The Eagles had six hits with Mindrup finishing 3-for-4. Stewart had two RBI.

UWL returns to action Sunday, March 11 with a pair of games in Tucson, Arizona to open its spring break trip. The Eagles face Chapman University (Calif.) at 11 a.m. (Mountain) and Central College (Iowa) at 1:30 p.m. (Mountain).