Tucson, Ariz. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team split a pair of games Sunday in the Tucson Invitational Games. The Eagles fell, 6-5, to George Fox University (Ore.) before a 8-6 win over 15th-ranked Central College (Iowa). UWL is now 6-6 on the season.
Versus George Fox (Ore.), the Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. They added to their lead in the top of the fourth to make it 3-0 before UWL got on the board in the bottom of the inning on
Katie Block's solo home run. Both teams scored three runs in the sixth.
George Fox (Ore.) took a 6-1 lead on Savannah Vargas' three-run home run. UWL came back in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to 6-4 with three unearned runs.
Lou Sciortino scored on
Nicole Trussoni's RBI single to make it 6-2 and Block came in on a
Emily Knight's RBI groundout. Trussoni later scored on a Bruins' error to cut the lead to 6-4. UWL's
Kendra Leis hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 6-5. The Eagles left two runners on base to end the game.
UWL had seven hits with Trussoni finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI.
Sydne Shattuck (2-2) took the loss, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing six hits, six runs and four walks with one strikeout.
George Fox (Ore.) totaled seven hits while finishing with five errors. Vargas and Claire Fountain both went 2-for-3 with Vargas finishing with four RBI. Niquilla (1-0) earned the victory, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing four hits, one run and one walk with two strikeouts. Winter Ridgeway recorded her first save, going 3.0 innings, allowing three hits, four runs (one earned) and one walk.
In the win over Central (Iowa), UWL tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning as
Haley Radewan and Block scored on
Sabrina Scardamaglia's two-run double. The Eagles took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth on
Mia Schmidtke's two-run home run. UWL added four runs in the sixth for a 8-2 lead on
Mallorie Segobiano's two-run pinch-hit double,
Sydney Murphy's RBI single and
Stephanie Cole's sacrifice fly.
Central (Iowa) scored a run in the bottom of the sixth and three in the bottom of the seventh. The Dutch left the tying runs on base to end the game.
UWL finished with 13 hits with Block going 4-for-4 with two runs. Schmidtke, Murphy and Leis each had two hits.
Caitlyn Hughes (4-1) earned the victory, going 4.0 innings, allowing three hits, two runs and one walk with two strikeouts.
Maddie Muelken picked up her second save, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing six hits, four runs (one earned) and two strikeouts.
Central (Iowa) totaled nine hits with Shaye Witte, Kaitlyn Andresen and Kylie Olson each with two. Mariah Fritz (2-3) suffered the loss for the Dutch, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing 10 hits, seven runs, one walk and two strikeouts.
UWL returns to action Monday, March 18 with a pair of games. The Eagles play the University of Texas at Dallas at 1 p.m. (Central) and Hamline University (Minn.) at 3:30 p.m.
