Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Rochester, Minn. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team earned a doubleheader split to open its 2020 season Sunday night at the Rochester Community and Technical College Stadium & Bubble.  UWL dropped its opener, 3-1, to St. Olaf College (Minn.) before coming back to earn a 6-1 victory over Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.).  

UWL took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first in its loss to St. Olaf (Minn.) as Sabrina Scardamaglia scored on a wild pitch. The Oles came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game on Hannah Matthies' double.  St. Olaf (Minn.) took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second with Maya Patty scoring on a Ally Bode groundout.   

Patty scored an unearned run in the bottom of the third after a UWL error to make it 3-1. 

The Eagles had the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh, but failed to score. 

Six different players had a hit for UWL with doubles from Stephanie Cole and Katie Block.  Maddie Muelken suffered the loss for the Eagles, pitching 2.1 innings, allowing three hits, two runs and one walk with two strikeouts. Sydne Shattuck pitched 3.2 innings, allowing two hits, one run (unearned) and one walk while striking out two. 

St. Olaf (Minn.) totaled five hits. Julie Graf earned the complete-game victory, going 7.0 innings, allowing six hits and one run while striking out 18. 

In the win over Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.), UWL took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on Block's two-run double knocking in Scardamaglia and Shattuck.  The Eagles added to their lead in the third inning as pinch-runner Kenzie Goethel scored on Block's groundout. UWL made it 6-0 with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Grace Scharfenberg's two-run single scored Kendra Leis and Cole for a 5-0 lead and Scharfenberg later scored on Scardamaglia's double. 

Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) avoided the shutout with a run in the top of the seventh. 

Muelken earned the win for UWL, going 4.0 innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out two. Rachel Niederkorn went 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and two walks with two strikeouts.  Shattuck pitched 1.0 inning, allowing one hit, one run and one walk. 

The Eagles had eight hits with Shattuck going 2-for-2 with a run and Scharfenberg finishing 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Block had three RBI. 

Mackenzie Brey suffered the loss for Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.), pitching 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits, six runs and six walks with four strikeouts. The Gusties finished with five hits as Emily Carlson went 2-for-3.

UWL returns to action Friday, March 13 against St. Catherine University (Minn.) with a doubleheader at the West St. Paul, Minnesota Dome at noon.