RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls softball team hosted Saint Mary's University Thursday afternoon during its 2023 season-opening doubleheader, dropping both games versus the Cardinals.
The Falcons, now 12-10 overall, totaled 16 hits through two games, falling 5-4 in extra innings in game one before a 5-3 game two loss.
Tomorrow, UWRF opens its WIAC schedule hosting UW-Stout at Perkins Stadium.
Saint Mary's 5, UW-River Falls 4 (8 inn.)
Game one of the home opener led to UWRF's first extra inning game this season.
Trailing 3-0 in the seventh, the Falcons strung together a three run inning with four hits to force extra innings.
Matti Renikow led off the inning with a double and scored off a
Lindsey Strom sacrifice bunt. UWRF added a couple more off a
Maddie Koch RBI single and a Cardinal error.
SMU took back the lead in the eighth, scoring two off three hits.
Down 5-3,
Keegan Piton led off the eighth scoring
Johanna Breyen with an RBI single, but that was the last run UWRF batted in.
SMU's Sarah Kraus pitched a complete game while UWRF starting pitcher
Maggie Wallin went six innings, allong one earned run.
Lindsey Duggan pitched the final two innings and took the loss.
Keegan Piton and
Matti Renikow led the Falcons at the plate with two hits apiece.
Saint Mary's 5, UW-River Falls 3
The Cardinals' Naleya Bork pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run off seven Falcon hits. She held the home team scoreless through six innings before a late Falcon rally in the final inning.
Down 5-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, UWRF didn't go away.
Kelly Aultman doubled to right center to get the rally started, and
Maddie Koch pinch ran and came around to score after an
Eleanor Hoge single. The Falcons added another run off an SMU passed ball along with a
Hannah Richards RBI single, but came up two runs short.
Johanna Breyen led the offense with two hits, while
Caitlin Hartsell suffered the loss in the pitcher's circle.
