University of Wisconsin La Crosse Athletics

River Falls, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team split its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader at UW-River Falls Wednesday afternoon at Faye Perkins Stadium. The Eagles took the opener, 4-0, before the Falcons won the nightcap, 8-0 in five innings.

UWL is now 20-16 overall and 4-7 in the WIAC while UW-River Falls is 9-25 overall and 2-9 in the conference.

Carmen Follette (9-5) earned the complete-game shutout in the opener, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. 
 
The Eagles scored twice in the top of the second. Marissa Pease singled to lead-off the inning and advanced on an error on Josie Flom's fielder's choice. Lauren Thurk's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Pease came in on Laci Heppell's sacrifice bunt to make it 1-0. Carly Gross singled to move Flom to third. Gross was caught stealing, but Flom scored for a 2-0 lead.
 
In the top of the seventh, Amber Gonzalez was hit by pitch to start the inning. She went to second on a groundout and advanced to third on Brooke Howard's single. Howard stole second. After a strikeout, Pease delivered a two-run double to knock in Gonzalez and Howard to extend the lead to 4-0. 
 
UWL finished with nine hits as Howard went 2-for-4 and Pease and Gross 2-for-3. Pease had two RBI. 
 
Brooklyn Vangruensven (2-9) took the loss, going 4.0 innings, allowing five hits, three runs (one earned) and three walks with one strikeout.
 
The Falcons had five hits as Autumn Hughes and Leah Oistad each went 2-for-3.
 
UW-River Falls scored four times in the bottom of the first of the nightcap. Hughes led-off with a single and advanced to second on a UWL error with Ella Stuber reaching on a fielder's choice. Caitlyn Kressel's RBI single scored Hughes for the game's first run. Stuber came on with Lacie Lilyquist reaching on an error. After a bunt single, Kressel came in on Hannah Effertz' groundout to make it 3-0 and Lilyquest scored on Kayla Dolan's run-scoring groundout for a 4-0 advantage. 
 
The Falcons added three runs in the third. Kressel's solo home run made it 5-0. Kayla Dolan's single scored Oistad and Grace Gardner's sacrifice fly knocked in Hannah Effertz to extend the lead to 7-0. Tessa Peterson scored in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch to make the final, 8-0. 
 
Hailey Kincaid (4-9) pitched a no-hitter for UW-River Falls, going 5.0 innings, allowing one walk with eight strikeouts. 
 
The Falcons totaled seven hits as Kressel went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Oilstad finished 2-for-2 while Dolan had two RBI. 
 
Brooklyn Bigalke (2-1) suffered the loss for UWL. She went 1.0 inning, allowing three hits and four runs (none earned). Kaeley Niemiec pitched 1.1 innings, allowing four hits and three runs with one strikeout. Claire Springer went 2.1 innings. She allowed one run and one walk while striking out one.
 
UWL was held without a hit for the first time since a 9-0 loss to UW-Platteville in the WIAC Tournament on May 9, 2025.
 
UWL returns to action Friday, May 1 at 14th-ranked UW-Oshkosh in the completion of a halted game due to the weather from April 17. The Eagles leads, 4-0, in the top of the second.