CLERMONT, Fla. — The UW-River Falls softball team closed out its trip to Florida for THE Spring Games with back-to-back wins on the final day of competition.
The Falcons defeated Manchester 13-2 in six innings, before defeating Lawrence 5-1 in a low-scoring pitcher's duel. The two wins on the final day of the spring trip improved UWRF's record to 11-7 overall.
UW-River Falls 13, Manchester 2
After a scoreless inning, back-to-back four-run outings in the second and third gave the Falcons the stronghold early. In the top of the second, UWRF loaded the bases and took advantage of the early momentum — Abby Pitts was walked to score a run, before Maddie Koch singled in two runs on the following at bat. Later in the inning, Grace Gardner hit a single to centerfield to score Pitts, putting the Falcons up 4-0 early on.
Just one inning later, the Falcons capitalized off RBI-singles from Addi DeMeyer and Pitts, before Koch hit a sacrifice fly. UWRF scored one additional run off an error, going up 8-0 after the top of the third.
Ella Woida hit an RBI-double in the top of the fifth, extending the lead to 9-0. Manchester scratched two runs in the bottom of the fifth, scoring off an RBI-double.
In the sixth inning, the Falcons lit up the plate for four more runs, as Kelly Aultman and Pitts each posted RBI-hits. A two-RBI single by Woida extended the lead to 13-2, which would ultimately hold through a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning.
Hannah Effertz finished the day 3-4 with two runs, while Pitts went 2-3 with three runs and three RBIs. Woida tallied a game-high four RBIs, while Koch finished with three RBIs.
In the pitcher's circle, Lindsey Duggan secured her fourth win of the season, throwing four scoreless innings in which she allowed just one hit — Duggan totaled four strikeouts.
UW-River Falls 5, Lawrence 1
The final game of THE Spring Games was a pitcher's duel early on.
Caitlyn Kressel wasted no time starting the scoring, hitting an RBI-single to left field to score DeMeyer and give the Falcons a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Lawrence leveled out the game at 1-1 in the top of the third, scoring on a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Kaitlyn Hall extended UWRF's lead to 3-1 with a triple that scored two runners.
Brooklyn VanGruensven pitched a gem for the Falcons, as Lawrence's single run in the top of the third proved to be the Vikings' only score of the game. VanGruensven pitched the entire game, allowing just one run off three hits and striking out three batters. As the game progressed, the Falcons managed to add to their lead while VanGruensven and the defensive effort kept Lawrence off the board.
In the bottom of the sixth, Kayla Dolan singled to right field and the play ended with an error scoring UWRF's fourth run. Effertz added an RBI-single to score Dolan, giving the Falcons a decisive 5-1 lead that held through the final half inning.
VanGruensven's win is her fourth of the season.
At the plate, Dolan led the way with a 2-2 performance in which she totaled two runs and one RBI. Hall tallied a game-high two RBIs.
Up next, the Falcons are set to return to the Midwest for two straight doubleheaders on the road in the Twin Cities. UWRF will face Augsburg on March 27 and Macalester on March 29. The Falcons are then set to host the 2025 home opener against Bethel on March 31, with the doubleheader set to begin at 3 p.m.
