RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls softball team split its home doubleheader against Bethel at home on Tuesday, April 29, winning game one 7-6 and losing 9-6.

Both games were back-and-forth, as the Falcons won in extra innings in game one and saw a late rally fall short in game two. The doubleheader moved UWRF's record on the season to 19-17 overall.

UW-River Falls 7, Bethel 6 (9 innings)

In game one, both teams took turns exchanging the lead in a back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire matchup.

After Bethel scored the opening run in the top of the first, UWRF bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and two in the fifth to capture a solid 4-1 lead.

The Royals tied the game with three runs in the top of the seventh to force extra innings, before building a narrow 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth. Abby Pitts evened the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the eight with an RBI single that scored Maddie Koch.

After Bethel scored its sixth run to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth, the Falcons rallied in the bottom of the ninth to win the game in extras. Kelly Aultman singled to left center to score Grace Gardner and even the game at 6-6. In the following at-bat, Kayla Dolan grounded out to shortstop, scoring Caitlyn Kressel for the game's winning run.

Alexa Dusterhoft received the win in the pitcher's circle, throwing five innings and allowing one earned run, striking out one batter. Emily Crowe pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out a batter.

Aultman led the way at the plate with a 3-4 performance, totaling two RBIs and one run. Kayla Dolan finished with two RBIs, while Caitlyn Kressel, Hannah Effertz, and Abby Pitts all had two hits each.

Bethel 9, UW-River Falls 6
A huge first inning by the Royals made game two an uphill battle for the Falcons early on. Bethel recorded six total hits and one home run in the top of the first inning, scoring seven runs and establishing a commanding lead.

The Falcons scored a run in the bottom of the third off an RBI-single from Aultman, but the Royals brought the game back to 8-1 with a groundout that scored a run. In the bottom of the fourth, Hannah Effertz hit a solo home run to left field, bringing the game back to 8-2.

After Bethel added another run in the top of the sixth, the Falcons saw similar success at the plate from Effertz, who crushed her second home run of the day — the home run once again went over the left field wall, this time scoring two runs and drawing the game to 9-4.

With the game on the line in the bottom seventh, UWRF made a valiant effort to cut into the lead. Kayla Dolan lined out to center field, and Autumn Hughes moved to third and then scored on the run. Just one at-bat later, Michaela Hasapopoulos scored on a passed ball and cut the lead to 9-6. The Falcons saw the tying run on deck, but a groundout ended the rally and saw UWRF fall 9-6. 

Effertz finished the day 2-3 with three RBIs, two home runs, two runs. Aultman went 2-4 with one RBI and one, concluding a five-hit day. Emily Crowe pitched 6.1 innings in relief, allowing two runs and striking out five batters.

Up next, the Falcons will continue a busy final week of the regular season. UWRF will face UW-Eau Claire on the road tomorrow for a doubleheader, with the first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.