MANKATO, MINN. – The UW-Stout Blue Devil softball team opened the 2023 season with a pair of games at the Bethany Kwik Trip Invitational at the MSU Dome on Saturday. Stout fell 4-5 to No. 9 Bethel and 0-8 to St. Scholastica.
GAME 1
Stout opened the season with a tough task, facing ninth ranked Bethel University. The Blue Devils weren't intimidated by that ranking and jumped out to a two-run lead in the top of the first courtesy of a two-run double from
Kayli Pfeffer that scored
Ashley Jacobson and
Emma Muehlenbeck.
Bethel responded in the bottom half of the inning with three hits and a walk, but were only able to push one runner home to cut the Stout lead in half.
After a scoreless second and third Innings, back-to-back doubles by
Grace Vowell and
Anna Blanford restored the Blue Devils two run lead in the top of the fourth.
After the first inning, Blanford kept the Royals in check, scattering three hits through the next three innings before Bethel loaded the bases the fifth. She was able to escape the jam with two strikeouts.
Pfeffer extended the Stout lead to 4-1 when she led off the sixth with a home run. Pfeffer finished 2-3 with 3 RBI.
Bethel got the lead-off batter on base in the bottom of the sixth, the next batter stuck out before the Royals Fauth tripled to cut the lead to 4-2. The next batter singled and the Blue Devil lead was 4-3. Blanford then retired the next two batters to head to the seventh.
Freshman
Meagan Murphy lead of the seventh with a double, but the Blue Devils were unable to add an insurance run.
The first three Bethel batters reached in the bottom of the seventh, before Blanford got Franks to pop-up. The next batter singled to tie the game. The next Royal filed out to left field and Stout was an out away from pushing the game to extras, but the next Bethel batter singled and the Royals escaped the early season upset with a 5-4 walk-off win.
Blanford finished with 6.2 innings pitched with 13 hits and nine strikeouts to be handed the tough loss. Bethel's Simacek with seven innings giving up six hits and four runs to pick up the win.
GAME 2
The Stout bats were quiet against the Saints managing just two hits in the 8-0 loss to St. Scholastica in five innings.
The Saint stuck first in the bottom of the first, scoring two unearned runs. They homered in the second and added three more in the third to build a 6-0 lead. CSS added an unearned run in the fourth and fifth to earn the shut out win.
Meagan Murphy tripled for the Blue Devils, the first of her career.
Donna D'Addabbo went two and third innings for Stout in the loss. Lauren Laviano gave up two hits over five inning with five strikeouts in the win for CSS.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils will be back in action next weekend with they head to Rhinelander, Wis. to play in the UW-Stevens Point Dome Tournament. Stout will face Edgewood College and Concordia Wis. on Saturday, Feb. 25 and will face Concordia Wis. and St. Scholastica on Saturday Feb. 26.
