La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team split a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader with UW-Stevens Point Saturday afternoon at North Campus Field. The Pointers won the opener, 14-6, while the Eagles came back to win the nightcap, 5-3.
UWL is now 8-7 overall and 4-3 in the WIAC while UW-Stevens Point is 15-8 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
UW-Stevens Point took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Sammy Buerger's home run. UWL quickly responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.
Sabrina Scardamaglia walked to lead-off the inning and went to third on
Katie Block's double.
Kendra Leis was walked to load the bases.
Jordyn McCormack's one-out single down the left field line scored both runners to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
Allison Oster singled to load the bases with one out, but the next two batters were retired.
Allison Oster hit a two-run home run in the opener.
The Pointers retook the lead in the second on Makenna Tkach's RBI single to the game and Rachael Wakefield's go-ahead double. UW-Stevens Point took a 5-2 lead in the third Lauren Luedtke scored on a UWL throwing error and Sara Traxel followed with a run-scoring single. The Eagles got two runs back in the bottom of the third on
Allison Oster's two-run home run scoring McCormack to make it 5-4.
UW-Stevens Point took a 9-4 lead with four runs in the fourth. Traxel had a two-run single in the inning. UWL cut it to 9-5 in the bottom of the inning when
Katie Block scored on a wild pitch. The Eagles made it 9-6 in the fifth as
Kenzie Goethel scored on a fielding error.
The Pointers tallied three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh. Traxel had an RBI single while Madi Greenaberg walked with the bases-loaded and Megan Lawrence added a sacrifice fly. Buerger finished with the scoring with a two-run home run in the seventh.
UWL totaled 13 hits in the opener with Block finishing 4-for-5 with two runs. McCormack and Oster each went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
Maddie Muelken (4-5) suffered the loss, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing five hits and four runs with one strikeout.
UW-Stevens Point finished with 16 hits. Buerger went 4-for-5 with five runs and three RBI. Luedtke and Traxel each had three hits with Luedtke finishing with four runs and Traxel with four RBI. Tkach (10-3) earned the win, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing nine hits, four runs and three walks while striking out five.
Sabrina Scardamaglia had three hits and three runs in the nightcap.
In the nightcap, UW-Stevens Point took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Maddie Candre scored after UWL threw the ball to second. UWL tied the game in the bottom of the inning with
Sabrina Scardamaglia coming in on a
Kendra Leis fielder's choice. The Eagles took a 4-1 lead with three runs in the bottom of the second.
Gillian Rinehart's sacrifice fly scored
Nicole Trussoni who had doubled with one out. After
Mariah Wick walked and stole second, Scardamaglia doubled her home to make it 3-1. Scardamaglia later scored on a UW-Stevens Point fielding error.
The Pointers cut the deficit to 4-3 with two unearned runs in the fifth. Candre had an RBI single and Luedtke an RBI ground out. The Eagles took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the inning on Block's ground out to score Scardamaglia. UW-Stevens Point got the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Buerger flied out to center field to end the game.
Sydne Shattuck (4-0) earned the victory, going 4.0 innings, allowing four hits and three runs (one earned) with three strikeouts. Muelken picked up her first save of the season, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing four hits while striking out two. UWL totaled six hits with Scardamaglia going 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.
Lauren Lindahl (1-2) took the loss for UW-Stevens Point. She went 2.0 innings in relief, allowing two hits, thee runs (two earned) and one walk with one strikeout. The Pointers finished with eight hits as Candre, Luedtke and Lawrence each totaled two.
UWL returns to action Tuesday, April 20 at UW-River Falls at 2 p.m.
