Box Score Pella, Iowa - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team fell, 6-4, to Grinnell College (Iowa) in an elimination game at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regional Tournament Friday afternoon at Central College (Iowa).

The Eagles end their season 28-15 overall while the Pioneers improve to 30-13 and advance to face Central College (Iowa) in an elimination game.

UWL was making its seventh career appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, including first since 2019. The Eagles earned an automatic bid to the national championships after winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship on May 13 with a 2-1 victory in nine innings over UW-Stevens Point. The Eagles went 4-0 to claim their fourth (2009, 2010, 2019, 2023) tournament title. 

UWL's offense threatened right away in the first inning as Abbey Bosch walked but was out when Kyra Lard reached on a fielder's choice bunt. Lard advanced to second on a single by Jordyn McCormack. However, Grinnell (Iowa) pitcher Kathryn Vermeulen retired the next two batters to get out of the inning.

UWL loaded the bases in the second as three Eagles walked but could not cross a run over the plate. UWL would finally get on the scoreboard in the third inning as Marissa Pease reached on a one-out single and scored on a two-out double by Madi O'Brien. 

The Eagles extended their lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth as McCormack hit a two-out double and scored on an O'Brien single. Grinnell (Iowa) would get a run back in its half of the fifth on a hit and UWL error. With two outs, Samantha Chu reached on a fielding error and scored on a double by Taylor Durak.

In the sixth, UWL took a 4-1 lead with a pair of runs. With two outs, Bosch singled and scored on a double by Lard to make it 3-1. McCormack recorded her third hit (a single) of the game scoring Lard to give UWL a 4-1 lead. 
 
Grinnell (Iowa) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the sixth when it got singles from Emma DiGiacomo-Zahller and Alexa Okada and a walk by Emma Nelson. After a UWL pitching change, DiGacomo-Zahller scored on a wild pitch to cut it 4-2. Chu then doubled to score both Okada and Nelson to tie the game at 4-4. Durak gave the Pioneers a 5-4 lead with a single while Mary Webb made it 6-4 with an RBI single.

Christin Hartman retired the Eagles in order in the top of the seventh to end the game. 

 

UWL finished with eight hits and five walks in the game. McCormack led the Eagles going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored while O'Brien was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Remington Stark (4-4) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk in 0.1 of an inning. Elise Weinzierl started for the Eagles, pitching went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four. 

Grinnell (Iowa) totaled 10 hits as a team including three from Okada and two each from Chu, Durak, and DiGiacomo-Zahller. Chu and Durak each had two RBI for the Pioneers. Hartman (16-6) pitched the final 3.0 innings to earn the win, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two.