Ripon, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team fell, 8-2, at Ripon College (Wis.) Sunday afternoon at Tracy Field.
The Eagles drop to 11-8 while the Red Hawks improve to 13-5.
Ripon (Wis.) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Carli Moldenhauer doubled to lead-off the inning and went to third on Callissa Keller's single. Moldenhauer came in on an Ashlyn Schultz ground out for the game's first run. Keller later scored on a Cyriana Reinwald sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
UWL cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the second.
Marissa Pease,
Josie Flom and
Laci Heppell walked to lead-off the inning and
Chloe Brown's one-out sacrifice fly scored Pease.
The Red Hawks added to their lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. Maddie Heisler singled to start the inning and went to second on an error. She advanced to third on Nadiyah Huizar's sacrifice bunt and scored on Moldenhauer's single to give Ripon (Wis.) a 3-1 lead. Moldenhauer later scored on a Reinwald sacrifice fly.
Both teams scored a run in the third.
Lindsay Steien and
Brooke Howard both singled to start to the top of the third. Both runners stole a base and Steien scored on Flom's sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-2. Moldenhauer's ground-rule double scored Karissa Jenz in the bottom of the third to give Ripon (Wis.) a 5-2 lead.
Ripon (Wis.) took a 6-2 lead in the fourth on a Kayla Cruz and added two runs in the fifth on Keller's RBI single and Cruz' fielder's choice to make it 8-2.
UWL finished with four hits as Steien and Howard both went 2-for-4.
Brynne Bieri suffered the loss, pitching 1.1 innings, eight hits and four runs (three earned).
Carmen Follette went 4.2 innings, allowing six hits, four runs (three earned) and three walks.
Ripon (Wis.) totaled 14 hits as Moldenhauer finished 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI and Keller 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Schultz went 2-for-3 with two runs. Cruz and Maddie Heisler both finished 2-for-4 with Cruz totaling two RBI. Alayna Sadowska earned the win for the Red Hawks, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing four hits, two run and seven walks while striking out two.
UWL returns to action Monday, March 30 hosting the University of Dubuque (Iowa) in a non-conference doubleheader at 3 p.m.
