Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Falcon softball team swept UW-La Crosse in a WIAC doubleheader at Ramer Field on Monday and will play UW-Stout on Friday in the team's first game at the WIAC Tournament in Eau Claire.

The Falcons, now 25-12 overall, beat the Eagles in two close games, 2-1 and 9-7. 

Earlier this year the Falcons split with Stout in games played in Menomonie on April 18. UWRF won the first game, 7-6, and Stout rallied to win the second game, 3-2. Friday's game will start at 2 p.m., and will be third game of the day in the double elimination tourney. If the Falcons win they would play the winner of the Whitewater-Platteville game at noon on Saturday. If the Falcons lose they would play the winner of the Eau Claire-Oshkosh game at 10 a.m., on Saturday. 

The Falcons are the defending WIAC Tournament champions and enter this year's tourney as the No. 3 seed. Eau Claire is seeded No. 1 and Whitewater is No. 2. Stout is No. 4, Platteville is No. 5 and Oshkosh is No. 6. The tourney champion will earn the WIAC automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

River Falls 2, La Crosse 1 
The Falcons rallied to score to runs in the sixth to get the come-from-behind win. UWRF had seven hits and La Crosse had four. Both teams committed one error. 

UWL scored its run in the fourth when Katie Fink led off the inning with a homer to center field. 

The Falcons scored their two runs in the sixth using three hits and two walks. With one out the Falcons put runners on first and second. A force out at third was the second out of the inning, but the Falcons stayed alive to get the two runs, With runners at first and second and two outs, Jessie Bester singled to left to load the bases. Sarah Bohlen worked the Eagle pitcher for a walk to score Kristy Martinson from third. Lily Buckley then came through with a single to left that scored Amber O'Connell with the second run. Katie Zais was thrown out at home on the play trying to score from second.  

Rose Tusa pitched another great game. She allowed the one earned run and four hits - all were singles except the homer. She struck out nine and didn't walk a batter. She has pitched five games without walking a batter. Tusa is now 18-5. 

Bubkley was the only Falcon with a multiple hit game, she finished 2-3 with a RBI. 

River Falls 9, La Crosse 7 
The second game had much more offense as the teams combined for 16 runs. 

UWRF scored nine runs on 12 hits while the Eagles scored seven runs on 11 hits. There were no errors in the game. UWL stranded nine base runners and the Falcons three.

The Falcons had a 5-0 lead after four innings scoring single runs in the first and third and three in the fourth. But the Eagles scored five runs in the fifth to tie the contest. The Falcons came back with four runs in their half of the fifth. UWL made it close by scoring two more times in the sixth. 

Hayley Buchanan led off the first with a single to center and she was sacrificed to second by Haley Selkirk. Buchanan went to third on a wild pitch and scored when Patty Olson hit a sacrifice fly to right. In the third Buckley and Buchanan led off with singles to left and once again Selkirk advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Olson grounded out to short and Buckley scored on the play.

Amanda Ryder led off the fourth with an infield single and O'Connell then doubled to left to put runners on second and third. Bester hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Ryder. Abbie Morris then hit her third homer of the season to left center to make it a 5-0 game.

UWL scored its five runs in the fifth on four hits and four walks. One run scored on a solo homer and another on a single. The other three runs were scored on walks with the bases loaded.

UWRF took the lead for good scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and a runner on first, Ryder singled to center to put runners on first and second. O'Connell blasted her second double of the game to left center to score Ashley Goettl. Bester then hit a three-run homer to left center. It was her third homer of the season. 

UWL came up with two runs in the sixth using three hits, including one double. UWL put two runners on in the seventh but could not get them home.

Ryder finished 3-3 with two runs scored. Buchanan was 2-4 with a run scored and O'Connell was 2-3, both doubles, with one RBI and two runs scored. Bester finished 1-2 with four RBI and a run scored. 

Morris started on the mound and worked the first 4.1 innings. She allowed five earned runs on six hits. She struck out two and walked two. Bohlen got the win in relief and she is now 3-3 this year. She allowed two earned runs on five hits. She struck out two and walked three.