CLERMONT, Fla. — The UW-River Falls softball team split its games on Wednesday, March 19, falling to Chicago 11-2 and bouncing back to beat Blackburn 8-0.
The Falcons' record on the season moved to 7-7 overall and 3-5 through eight games of THE Spring Games in Clermont, Florida.
UW-River Falls 2, Chicago 11 (6 Innings)
Back-to-back three-run innings by the University of Chicago to start off the game made things an uphill battle for UW-River Falls.
The Falcons struggled at the plate, until the fifth inning when the Falcons managed to cut the deficit to 7-2 with RBI-singles from Maddie Koch and Abby Pitts. However, Chicago added three more runs in the sixth inning, ending the game on an RBI-double in the top of the inning.
Koch tallied both an RBI and a run, while Natasha Burinda scored a run and Pitts tallied an RBI.
UW-River Falls 8, Blackburn 0 (5 Innings)
In the second game of the day, sophomore pitcher Brooklyn VanGruensven picked up her second win of the season with a highly effective five-inning shutout. VanGruensven allowed just three hits and one walk, and struck out four batters.
The Falcons wasted no time taking control of the game, as Caitlyn Kressel doubled to score Emily Crowe to score UWRF's first run of the night. On the next at-bat, Kelly Aultman hit a two-RBI home run to score Kressel and put the Falcons ahead 3-0 after one.
The second inning was the defining segment of the game, as UWRF built up an 8-0 advantage that would eventually hold through the final out. Ella Woida hit an RBI-single early in the inning, before Aultman was walked with the bases loaded to extend the lead to 5-0. Hannah Effertz was walked on the following at-bat, followed by a two-RBI single to left field by Addi DeMeyer to score two runners and give the Falcons an 8-0 advantage after two innings.
The Falcons avoided allowing any runs in the bottom of the second, despite three runners being left on base. In the following three innings, VanGruensven did not allow any hits and helped the Falcons cruise to a five-inning victory on day four of THE Spring Games
Crowe and DeMeyer each had two-hit performances at the plate, with DeMeyer totaling two RBIs and Crowe scoring one run. Aultman finished 1-2 with three RBIs and two runs.
Next up, the Falcons will have a day off before completing the final four games of THE Spring Games. UWRF will face Fredonia State and Buffalo State on March 21, with the first pitch against Fredonia State scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET.
