Clermont, Fla. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team concluded its spring break trip splitting a pair of games on Friday. The Eagles earned an 8-4 victory over Kalamazoo College (Mich.) before a 4-3 loss to Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
UWL is now 9-5 on the season, finishing 8-2 in Florida. The Eagles had their eight-game winning streak snapped with the loss to MIT.
UWL scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first in its win over Kalamazoo (Mich.).
Brooke Howard's RBI triple scored
Amber Gonzalez with the game's first run and Howard came in on as
Kasey Brouchoud reached on a Hornets' fielding error to make it 2-0.
The Eagles extended their lead to 4-0 in the second with
Carly Gross scoring on
Lindsay Steien's fielder's choice and Gonzalez scoring on Howard's RBI ground out.
Kalamazoo (Mich.) cut the lead to 4-2 in the third on Grace Rocco's two-run double knocking in Maddie Potts and Macy Ward.
Josie Flom's two-run double in the bottom of third scoring
Madalynn Frederixon and
Ava Quinlan gave UWL a 6-2 advantage.
Rocco's single and Ward scoring on a passed ball in the top of the fifth for the Hornets cut the Eagles' lead to 6-4. UWL padded its lead in the sixth as Steien scored on Howard's single to make it 7-4 and Howard came in to score after Brouchoud reached on an error.
Kaeley Niemiec earned the win for UWL, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing five hits, four runs (three earned) and three walks while striking out five.
Claire Springer went 2.0 innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout while
Brynne Bieri pitched 1.0 inning with two strikeouts.
Marissa Pease finished 3-for-4 for the Eagles with Howard going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. Flom had two RBI with Gonzalez scoring twice.
Potts took the loss for Kalamazoo (Mich.), pitching 6.0 innings. She allowed eight hits, four runs (two earned) and two walks while striking out one. Rocco went 3-for-4 with three RBI while Ward scored twice.
Versus MIT, the Engineers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Maggie Feng scored on a Ava Ladd single for the game's first run and Ladd later scored on Arianna Kumar's single for a 2-0 advantage.
UWL cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the fourth with Steien scoring on Howard's single. MIT got the run back in the bottom of the inning as Lauren Sundquist came in on a Julia Mattiace single to make it 3-1.
Kumar's RBI double scored Feng in the bottom of the fifth to extend the Engineers' lead to 4-1. UWL rallied with two runs in the top of the seventh. Howard reached on an error and advanced to second on the play to start the inning. She scored on a Brouchoud single to cut the deficit to 4-2. Gross pinch ran and stole second and went to third on
Laci Heppell's one-out ground out. Gross scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-3, but Flom flied out to end the game.
Bree Holmes suffered the loss for UWL, pitching 1.0 inning, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned).
Carmen Follette went 4.0 innings, allowing five hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out three. Springer pitched 1.0 inning.
Four different players recorded a hit for the Eagles.
Sharona Huang earned the complete-game victory for MIT, going 7.0 innings, allowing four hits and three unearned run with one strikeout. Kumer and Sundquist each went 2-for-3 for the Engineers with Kumer finishing with two RBI. Feng scored twice.
UWL returns to action Wednesday, March 25 hosting Wartburg College (Iowa) in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. in the Eagles' home opener at North Campus Field.
Â
