Stout splits on Day 4, fall to St. Kates, down Luther

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 St. Catherine 7, UW-Stout 2 | UW-Stout 6, Luther College 2

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 25, 2019) - After getting toppled by St. Catherine, 7-2, UW-Stout nearly turned the score around in their second game of the day to beat Luther College, 6-2, on Day Four of the PRX Athletic Spring Games Monday.

After a slow start in the early morning opener to St. Kate's, the Blue Devils (7-4) pounced immediately on Luther College's mistakes to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. 

Mary Iliopoulos led off the game with a single, then moved to third when the throw attempt on Kyncaide Diedrich's hit went airborne. Iliopoulos and Diedrich scored when Meghan Kelly's sacrifice bunt was misplayed.

The Norse (11-3) got one run back in their half of the inning, but the Blue Devils' No. 1 and 2 hitters, Illiopoulos and Diedrich, scored again in the third inning to stretch the score to 4-1. Iliopoulos worked her way on base with a walk and came home on Diedrich's home run, her second home run in as many days. 

Diedrich figured into the scoring again, this time in the fifth inning, getting on base with a two-out single. Diedrich stole second, then came home when Kelly turned a 1-2 count into a single.

Starting pitcher Melea Bruns gave Stout a 6-1 lead in the sixth when she scored from second on Jessica Daley's single. Luther got a final run in the sixth inning, but Bruns went the distance to notch the win. 

In game one, the Blue Devils allowed two runs in the top of the fourth by the Wildcats on a two-run home rung by George, but did get the runs back in the bottom half of the inning on back-to-back doubles by Meghan Kelly and Alicia Meyer. Diedrich led off with a single, stole second and came home on Kelly's double and Kelly home compliments of Meyer's double.

But St. Kate's (6-5), who Stout had beaten 6-4 in the season-opener, scored two runs in the fifth inning and added three more in the seventh.

The Blue Devils pounded out eight hits, stranding six runners. Wildcat pitcher Kathryn Proper recorded 13 strikeouts. Mary Iliopoulos was 3-for-4 to lead Stout. 

The Blue Devils are off Tuesday, March 26, but return to action, Wednesday, March 27 when they face the University of Chicago and Miami University (Hamilton).