Stout closes out final day in Florida with a split

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 UW-Stout 9, New Rochelle 1 (5 inn) | Luther College 5, UW-Stout 2

CLERMONT, Fla. (March 29, 2019) - UW-Stout closed out their 2019 Florida spring break trip with a split, needing only five innings in a 9-1 win over the College of New Rochelle, but then falling 5-2 in a rematch with Luther College.

In the final game of the week at the PFX Athletics Spring Games, Luther College scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth and rode those runs on their way to 5-2 win. The teams had met earlier in the week, with the Blue Devils taking a 6-2 win. 

Stout (9-8) got one run back in the second inning when Mary Iliopoulos drove in Kelly Beck. Iliopoulos scored Stout's other run in the fifth inning. Luther added one final run in the sixth inning. 

Luther had 11 hits to six hits for Stout.The Blue Devils stranded nine runners, the Norse seven.

In the opening game of the day, Stout needed only five innings to defeat the College of New Rochelle.

The Blue Devils allowed a single Blue Angels' run in the first in the first inning, but stranded New Rochelle's next six base runners. In the meantime, Stout built up an 8-1 lead and loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning with Kyncaide Diedrich at the plate. While Diedrich did not hit a grand slam like she did earlier in the week, she did stroke a single to end the game with no outs in the fifth inning on the 8-run rule.

Stout answered New Rochelle's first inning run in the bottom of the inning as Diedrich and Alicia Meyer drove in runs. Stout scored four runs in the third inning with Meghan Kelly and Meyer each driving in a run and Jessica Daley plated two runners to give Stout a 6-1 lead. Stout added two runs in the fourth inning with Meyer getting her third RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly. 

The Blue Devils ended the game in the fifth inning with four consecutive singles by Daley, Jessica Christiansen, Mary Iliopoulos and Diedrich. 

iliopoulos was 4-for-4 with three runs scored batting in front of Diedrich, who was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Kelly Beck was 2-for-2 with a run scored and a triple. Meyer was 1-for-1 with three RBI and Daley was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Stout finished the game with 14 hits. 

Kim Labahn ran her record to 4-0, scattering eight hits,but allowing only the one run, striking out four and walking two. 

The Blue Devils return to Wisconsin and will open the conference season Saturday, April 6 at UW-Platteville, then are scheduled to open their home season by taking on Bethany Lutheran College Sunday, April 7 at 2 p.m.

NOTE: According to several media reports, the College of New Rochelle will be closing their doors after the summer session. On a lighter note, the city of New Rochelle, N.Y., is the fictitious home of Rob and Laura Petrie of the 1960s sitcom, "The Dick Van Dyke Show."