UW-L Splits with UW-Platteville in Home Opener

For Immediate Release: Friday, April 4, 2008

La Crosse, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse softball team opened its 2008 home schedule with a WIAC doubleheader split with UW-Platteville Friday afternoon at North Campus Field. The Eagles won the opener, 10-5, before the Pioneers came back to take the nightcap, 11-4. UW-L is now 14-5 overall and 2-2 in the WIAC while UW-Platteville is 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the league.

In the opener, UW-Platteville took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first before UW-L cut the margin to 2-1 in the second inning on Kim Pietrowiak's run-scoring single. The Eagles tallied four times in the bottom of the third to take a 5-2 lead. Cara Salm had an RBI single while Pietrowiak had a sacrifice bunt to score a run and Emily Eggers added an RBI double.

UW-Platteville tied the contest with three runs in the top of the fourth on Lindsay Weigand's three-run home run, but UW-L scored five times in the sixth as Sarah Pfeifer hit a three-run home run and Salm a two-run home run.

Kaylyn Von Glahn (4-0) earned the win for the Eagles, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout. Heather Schultz started for UW-L, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing four hits, five runs (three earned) and one walk while striking out three. Maggie Medlicott (4-4) took the loss for UW-Platteville, going 6.0 innings, allowing 12 hits, 10 runs (six earned) and three walks with three strikeouts.

Salm finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI for UW-L while Rachel Weyer was 3-for-4 with a run scored. Pietrowiak was 2-for-3 with two RBI and Pfeifer finished 1-for-3 with two runs and three RBI. Rachel Croak also scored twice. Becky Swanson was 2-for-2 for UW-Platteville with a run scored while Weigand was 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored.

In the nightcap, UW-L took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Weyer's RBI single scoring Salm. The Eagles added a run in the third on Pfeifer's solo home run before the Pioneers took a 3-2 lead with three runs in the top of the fourth. Swanson had a two-run home run for UW-Platteville. The Pioneers led 4-2 in the fifth, but the Eagles tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Liz Bradley's two-run home run. UW-Platteville scored six runs in the sixth to lead 10-4 and added one more in the seventh. Stefany Delifer had a two-run single in the sixth.

Katie Sutter (3-2) picked up the win for UW-Platteville, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs (three earned) and three walks while striking out seven. Cassie Huettl (0-3) suffered the loss for UW-L, facing five batters in the sixth inning, allowing two hits, five runs (one earned) and two walks. Shelly Monahan started for the Eagles, going 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, four runs (two earned) and one walk with two strikeouts. Von Glahn went 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and two unearned runs.

UW-Platteville scored eight unearned runs in the contest as UW-L finished with seven errors.

Nikki Hansen, Sutter and Weigand each had two hits for UW-Platteville. Weyer finished 3-for-4 with an RBI for UW-L while Bradley was 1-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.

UW-L returns to action Sunday, April 6 hosting Luther College (Iowa) in a non-conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.