La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team split its doubleheader versus UW-Stout Wednesday afternoon at North Campus Field, falling 2-1 in the opener, and winning 2-1 in the nightcap, in UWL's regular season home finale.
The Eagles are now 21-17 and 6-6 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while the Blue Devils are 12-20 overall and 3-7 in the conference.
Brooke Howard went 2-for-2 with a run scored and walk in the nightcap.
UWL started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning in the opener.
Brooke Howard reached on a UW-Stout fielding error and went to second as
Cristin Casey was hit-by-pitch. After a strikeout, Howard came in on another Blue Devils' error with
Abbey Bosch reaching on a fielder's choice to make it 1-0. The Eagles stranded two runners.
UW-Stout scored its only runs of the game in the top of the second. Rayni Bresnahan walked to lead-off the inning and advanced to third on Elly Holden's single with Holden advancing to second on a UWL error. Liz Rohl followed with a two-run single to score Bresnahna and Holden to give the Blue Devils a 2-1 lead.
Neither team reached base until Bosch reached on a UW-Stout error to lead-off the bottom of the fourth. She went to second on
Maddy Bornbach's sacrifice bunt, but the the next two batters were retired.
Both teams left a runner on base in the fifth and sixth inning.
Kaeley Niemiec pitched 5.0 innings, allowing one earned run with five strikeouts.
Kaeley Niemiec (6-4) suffered the loss, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing three hits, two runs (one earned) and three walks while striking out five.
Brynne Bieri pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one walk while recording two strikeouts.
The Eagles finished with two hits with Howard and Bornbach each finishing with one.
Anna Blanford (11-11) earned the win for UW-Stout, pitching a complete game. She went 7.0 innings, allowing two hits and one run (unearned) with seven strikeouts.
The Blue Devils finished with three hits as Donna D'Addaboo, Holden and Rohl each recorded one.
UW-Stout scored its only run of the nightcap in the top of the first. D'Addaboo walked with two outs and scored on a Stephanie Kuhn double for a 1-0 lead.
The game remained, 1-0, until the bottom of the sixth. Howard singled to lead-off the inning for UWL and scored on Casey's RBI triple to tie the contest, 1-1.
Kyra Lard followed with a sacrifice fly to knock in Casey and give UWL a 2-1 lead.
Cristin Casey had the game-tying RBI
and scored the winning run in the nightcap.
UW-Stout loaded the bases with two out in the top of the seventh, but Bresnahan grounded out to end the game.
Carmen Follette (3-6) earned the complete-game victory, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing eight hits, one run and two walks with four strikeouts.
UWL finished with seven hits with Howard, Casey and
Nicole Zoellner each having two hits.
Blanford (11-12) suffered the loss for UW-Stout. She pitched her second complete-game of the doubleheader, going 6.0 innings, allowing seven hits, two runs and two walks with five strikeouts.
The Blue Devils totaled with eight hits. Emma Muehlenbeck finished 2-for-4.
UWL returns to action Saturday, May 3 for a WIAC doubleheader at UW-Platteville at 1 p.m. in the regular-season finale.
