ROCHESTER, Minn. – The UW-Stout softball team played two competitive matchups in the RCTC Dome on Saturday, coming away with a tough 6-5 loss to St. Catherine before falling 7-4 to St. Olaf in the nightcap.
Game 1: St. Catherine 6, UW-Stout 5
The Blue Devils started strong against St. Catherine, jumping out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. Rayni Bresnahan and Nicole Stone delivered key RBIs early, while Payton Dolecki and Donna D'Addabbo each knocked doubles to help fuel the offense.
However, St. Catherine chipped away at the deficit, scoring three in the fourth inning and another in the fifth to make it a one-run game. A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh tied the contest, and a walk-off RBI single sealed the comeback victory for St. Catherine.
Anna Blanford pitched five solid innings for Stout, allowing four earned runs.
Game 2: St. Olaf 7, UW-Stout 4
The nightcap against St. Olaf saw another late-game push, but the deficit proved too large to overcome.
Stout and St. Olaf were locked in a scoreless battle until the fifth inning when the Oles broke through for seven runs, taking advantage of a defensive miscue and timely hits.
The Blue Devils made a valiant comeback effort in the seventh inning, with Payton Dolecki and Rayni Bresnahan delivering RBIs. Bresnahan's late double brought Stout within three, but the rally fell just short.
Despite the losses, Stout showed resilience at the plate, collecting eight hits in each contest. The Blue Devils (2-4) will look to bounce back in their next weekend when they travel to Decatur, Ill on Friday, March 7 for two games and St. Louis, Mo on Saturday, March 8 for a double header with WashU.
