CLERMONT, Fla. — The UW-River Falls softball team went 1-1 today at THE Spring Games in Clermont, Florida.
The Falcons were victorious 11-2 against Plattsburgh State in game one and suffered a narrow 10-9 loss against Hamline in the second game of the day. The Falcons' record moved to 6-6 overall on the season.
UW-River Falls 11, Plattsburgh State 2
The first game of the day was a pitcher's duel through the first three innings, as four hits by Plattsburgh and one by River Falls led to a 0-0 tie after three.
The Cardinals broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth, as Plattsburgh loaded the bases and scored three runs on back-to-back RBI-singles.
UWRF responded with a big inning in the bottom of the fourth, scoring six runs to build up a 6-3 lead after four. Kayla Dolan hit a sacrifice-fly to score Ella Woida, before Addi DeMeyer scored two runs off a double to tie the game at 3-3. Grace Gardner kept the rally going with a double to left field that scored two runners, before Caitlyn Kressel hit an RBI-single on the following at-bat to extend UWRF's lead to 6-3.
In relief, Emily Crowe allowed just one hit in the fifth inning and went one-two-three in the sixth to help limit a potential comeback by the Cardinals. Crowe received the win designation, improving her record to 2-1 on the year.
In the bottom of the sixth an error and two singles helped load the bases, before Kressel doubled to clear the bases and extend the Falcons' advantage to 9-2. Hannah Effertz doubled to score Kressel later in the inning and Dolan hit another RBI-single, giving UWRF an 11-2 victory in the bottom of the sixth.
Kressel led the way with four RBIs at the plate off a 2-4 performance. Gardner finished 2-4 with two RBIs and two runs, while Tessa Peterson also scored two runs. The Falcons stole five bases as a team.
UW-River Falls 9, Hamline 10
The second game of the day was a up-and-down affair, as both teams had major innings that forced the game's momentum to swing back and forth.
UWRF built a 4-0 lead right out of the gates in the top of the first, before eventually extending that lead to 5-0 in the top of the third with an RBI-single from Tessa Peterson.
The Pipers rallied five runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 5-5. Just when the game was back level, a passed ball scored Gardner and a single to left by Burinda ended up scoring three runs, giving the Falcons a 9-5.
Hamline scored on run in the fourth, before eventually tying the game at 9-9 in the bottom off the sixth off two doubles that netted three runs total. In the bottom of the seventh, an RBI-single to center field scored the deciding run for the Pipers, dealing the Falcons a narrow 10-9 defeat.
Burinda finished 2-2 with two RBIs and two runs, while Kressel went 2-4 with two runs. Peterson also tallied a 2-4 performance at the plate, totaling one RBI.
Next up, the Falcons are back in action tomorrow for back-to-back games against the University of Chicago and Blackburn College. First pitch against Chicago is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET.
