MANKATO, Minn. - The UW-Stout softball team fell 10-2 to Macalester College in five innings Saturday night at the MSU Dome.
Macalester jumped ahead early, plating three runs in the first inning, capitalizing on a combination of timely hitting and defensive miscues. UW-Stout responded in the opening frame when Payton Dolecki scored on an error, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
After Macalester extended its lead to 5-1 in the third, UW-Stout found some momentum in the fifth inning. Elly Holden led off with a double and came around to score on an RBI single by Emma Muehlenbeck However, Macalester exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the frame, taking advantage of two errors to put the game out of reach and force an early ending via the run rule.
UW-Stout was held to four hits, with Dolecki and Holden each collecting one extra-base hit.
Pitcher Anna Blanford took the loss for UW-Stout, allowing four runs in two innings of work. Macalester's Miller earned the win, striking out four while allowing just one earned run in five innings.
UW-Stout (1-1) looks to bounce back next weekend when they travel to St. Cloud, Minn. to face the College of Saint Benedict for a double header on Feb. 22.
