Kelly drives in five first game runs as Stout splits with River Falls

UW-Stout 6, UW-River Falls 2 | UW-River Falls 3, UW-Stout 1

MENOMONIE (May 4, 2021) - Meghan Kelly notched five runs batted in and Melea Bruns pitched four scoreless innings as UW-Stout defeated UW-River Falls, 6-2, in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday at Alumni Field. The Falcons came back to win the second game, 3-1.

Kelly put the Blue Devils (6-22) on the board in the first inning, blasting a three-run home run to left field, her first home run of the season, to give Stout a 3-0 lead. Kelly recorded an RBI single in third inning - the same inning Bruns helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly - and drove in her fifth run of the afternoon when she sliced a single through the left side of the Falcons (10-15).

Bruns earned the win by tossing the first four innings of the contest, allowing three hits and had a strikeout, striking out the first batter she faced. Bruns walked none, but did allow runners as far as third, but stranded five runners.

The Falcons took advantage of Blue Devil errors in the sixth inning to score two runs on two hits, but also two errors. 

Kelly was 3 for 3 as she had three of Stout's five total hits. Jessica Christiansen was 2 for 3. 

Stout got on the board first in the second game when Michala Belter lofted a sacrifice fly to score Christiansen, who reached with a lead-off single. River Falls tied the score in the fourth with their own sacrifice fly. Stout put a runner on third in the fifth inning, but that would be as far as a Blue Devil runner would get the rest of the night. River Falls took advantage of two Stout errors to score twice in the seventh inning.

Stout was limited to three hits, half as many as River Falls. 

Stout will close out the home portion of their schedule when they host UW-Stevens Point, Friday, May 7 at 5 p.m. in a conference doubleheader. The WIAC Championship, presented by Culver's, is Tuesday, May 11, Thursday, May 13 and Saturday, May 15.