MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The UW-River Falls softball team capped off a 4-0 weekend at the Auggie Dome Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota, defeating Crown College in back-to-back games on Saturday, March 8.
The Falcons defeated the Polars 8-2 and 8-0, after defeating Martin Luther College in a doubleheader yesterday. The wins improved UWRF's record on the season to 4-2.
Kelly Aultman led the way at the plate for UW-River Falls with five RBIs, while Lindsey Duggan and Emily Crowe picked up wins in the pitcher's circle.
UW-River Falls 8, Crown College 2
The Falcons tallied 13 hits as a team in the first game of the doubleheader, taking an early 3-0 lead after two innings — Kelly Aultman hit a two-run home run in the first inning, before Caitlyn Kressel doubled to score Alexa Dusterhoft.
The Polars added two runs in the bottom of the third to trim the lead to 3-2, but UW-River Falls responded with five runs unanswered to pull away.
Abby Pitts hit an RBI-single in the fourth inning, before Maddie Koch brought home two runners with a double in the fifth. Aultman put the exclamation point on the win in the seventh inning, hitting her second homer of the day to score two runners and put UWRF up 8-2.
Lindsey Duggan was the winning pitcher for the Falcons, pitching five innings and striking out seven batters, one shy of a new career high. Dusterhoft pitched two perfect innings in relief, striking out one batter.
Aultman finished with four RBIs and two runs off a 2-3 performance at the plate. Grace Gardner went 2-4 with two runs and Maddie Koch finished 1-2 with two RBIs.
UW-River Falls 8, Crown College 0 (5 innings)
A huge third inning helped the Falcons defeat the Polars in five innings, in addition to a dominant team pitching performance.
Alexa Dusterhoft, Emily Crowe, and Lindsey Duggan combined to pitch five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits. Crowe received the victory.
The Falcons took a quick 2-0 lead through two innings, after Kressel hit a solo home run and Aultman singled in a run. Kayla Dolan and Caitlyn Kressel each had RBI-hits in the third inning, as well as a two-RBI single by Hannah Effertz.
Kaitlyn Hall hit a two-RBI home run in the fifth inning that put UWRF up 8-0, ending the game in five innings and wrapping up a 4-0 weekend at the Auggie Dome Games.
Hall finished 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs, while Kressel totaled two RBIs and one run off a 2-3 performance. Dolan also went 2-3, scoring two runs and tallying one RBI.
Next up, the Falcons will head to Clermont, Florida for THE Spring games. UWRF will play 12 games across a seven-day span, starting with matchups against Lakeland and Simpson on March 15 — first pitch against Lakeland is scheduled for 9 a.m. (ET).
