MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The UW-River Falls softball team opened began its weekend at the Auggie Dome Games on the campus of Augsburg University with setbacks against Crown College and Augsburg University.
The Falcons (1-5, 0-0 WIAC) face the Polars and Auggies again tomorrow. UWRF plays Crown tomorrow at 9 a.m. and Augsburg at 1 p.m.
Crown 10, UW-River Falls 5
Crown used a nine-run third inning which proved to be too much for a Falcon comeback, totaling 12 hits on the game while capitalizing on a trio of UWRF errors. The Falcons scored five runs off seven hits.
UWRF struck first in the top of the third. After a single and stolen base by
Autumn Hughes,
Addison Eaton delivered an RBI ground-rule double to center to tie the game at 1-1.
Caitlyn Kressel followed with an RBI single down the left field line to give the Falcons a 2-1 advantage.
Crown answered in the bottom half with its decisive third inning to take a 10-2 lead.
The Falcons continued to compete and trimmed the deficit in the fifth. Ella Stuber and Hughes recorded back-to-back singles to open the inning before Eaton connected on a three-run home run to right field, her second of the season, to make the score 10-5, but the Polars shut out the Falcons in the final two innings.
Eaton led UWRF offensively, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI. Hughes added two hits and two runs scored, while Kressel and Lily Lilyquist each tallied one hit. Alexa Dusterhoft started in the pitcher's circle and tallied four strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched. Lucy Knutson conceded the loss, and Brooklyn VanGruensven pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in relief with five strikeouts.
Augsburg 6, UW-River Falls 5
The Falcons narrowly fell in game two of the day, taking a lead in the second before a two-run fourth inning by the Auggies made the difference.
Augsburg struck first with two runs in the opening inning before UWRF answered in the bottom half as
Addison Eaton tripled to left center and later scored on a groundout by
Caitlyn Kressel to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Auggies added a run in the second to take a 3-1 lead, but the Falcons responded with a three-run second inning. Leah Oistad and Tessa Peterson reached to open the frame before Ella Woida drove in two runs with a sacrifice bunt that resulted in a throwing error. Ella Stuber followed with an RBI single up the middle to give UWRF a 4-3 advantage.
Augsburg regained control in the fourth inning, scoring twice to take a 5-4 lead. The Falcons threatened in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs, but were unable to push across the tying run.
The Auggies added an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-4.
UWRF mounted one final rally in the bottom of the seventh. Eaton doubled to center and later scored on an RBI walk by Addi DeMeyer to make it 6-5. The Falcons brought the tying run into scoring position but were unable to complete the comeback.
Eaton led the Falcons at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with a triple and a double while scoring twice. Stuber added two hits and an RBI, and Oistad reached base four times with a hit and three walks.
Brooklyn VanGruensven made the start and lasted three innings with four strikeouts.
