Rochester, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team split a pair of contests in the Luther College (Iowa) Dome Games at Rochester Community & Technical College (Minn.) Saturday night.
The Eagles fell, 9-7, to the University of Northwestern (Minn.) before earning a 7-0 victory over Buena Vista University (Iowa).
UWL is now 1-3 on the season.
The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first versus Northwestern (Minn.) on a
Lindsay Steien solo home run. Northwestern (Minn.) scored all nine of its runs in the bottom of the third. After Lani Schoper scored an unearned run to tie the game, Emma Edwards' single gave the Eagles of Northwestern (Minn.) a 2-1 lead. Trista Oberle walked with the bases-loaded to make it 3-1 and Hannah Lexvold's two-run single extended the lead to 5-1. Schoper added an RBI single and Emma Westrate a bases-loaded walk. Northwestern (Minn.) scored on a fielder's choice and ground out to finish the scoring.
UWL rallied with two runs in the fifth, three in sixth and one in the seventh.
Brooke Howard's sacrifice fly scored
Amber Gonzalez and
Chloe Brown scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-3. In the sixth, Gonzalez' fielder's choice knocked in a run while Howard and Steien both drew bases-loaded walks to make it 9-6. Gonzalez had an RBI single in the top of the seventh, knocking in
Josie Flom to cut the deficit to 9-7, but UWL stranded a pair of runners to finish the game.
UWL totaled seven hits with Steien going 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run while Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs.
Carmen Follette suffered the loss, pitching 2.1 innings, allowing six hits, six runs (five earned) and three walks with two strikeouts.
Northwestern (Minn.) finished with nine hits with Schoper going 3-for-4.
Kailynn Duncan earned the victory, going 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, six runs and four walks while striking out four. Addisyn Hansen picked up the save, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, one run and one walk.
Bree Holmes and
Brynne Bieri combined on the shutout win over Buena Vista (Iowa). Holmes earned the win, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing two hits with three strikeouts. Bieri went 2.0 innings, allowing three hits while striking out two.
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Howard singled to start the inning and scored on Steien's double for the game's first run.
Laci Heppell's RBI single later knocked in Steien for a 2-0 lead.
Gonzalez singled to start the bottom of the second, stole second, and came in on Haydeen Sellnow's run-scoring double to extend UWL's lead to 3-0.
The Eagles added four runs in the fifth innings.
Marissa Pease scored Steien with an RBI single for a 4-0 lead.
Ava Jaehnke's two-run single scored Heppell and
Lauren Thurk to make it 6-0 and
Carly Gross came in on a Gonzalez single to finish the scoring.
UWL had 11 hits with Howard, Heppell and Gonzalez each finishing with two. Steien scored twice while Jaehnke had two RBI in the game.
Karlee Noe suffered the loss for Buena Vista (Iowa), pitching 4.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and seven runs with one strikeout.
Three players recorded a hit for the Beavers.
UWL returns to action Saturday, March 14 opening its spring break trip in Clermont, Florida. The Eagles face Plymouth State University (N.H.) at 9 a.m. (Central) and Hiram College (Ohio) at 11:15 a.m. (Central).
