ST. PAUL - The UW-Stout softball team split a doubleheader with the University of Northwestern (Minn.) on Tuesday, April 14, at Reynolds Field. The Blue Devils fell 14-5 in the opener before bouncing back with a 10-2 victory in five innings in the nightcap.
Game 1: Univ. of Northwestern 14, UW-Stout 5
Stout jumped out to an early lead but could not hold off a late surge by the Eagles.
The Blue Devils scored two runs in the bottom of the first on a two-RBI single from
Sarah Wilkins. They added one more in the third when
Stephanie Kuhn homered to center field, giving Stout a 3-0 advantage.
Northwestern responded with three runs in the fourth to tie the game. The Eagles took the lead with two runs in the fifth.
Stout's pitching kept it close until the seventh, when Northwestern exploded for nine runs.
The Blue Devils added two runs in the bottom of the seventh on Wilkins' solo homer and an RBI from
Katie Monroe, but it was not enough.
Offensively, Stout was led by Wilkins (2-for-4, HR, three RBI),
Rayni Bresnahan (2-for-2, double),
Elly Holden (2-for-4), and
Donna D'Addabbo (1-for-3, two walks). Kuhn added a homer and a walk.
In the circle,
Sarah Wilkins went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with seven strikeouts.
Game 2: UW-Stout 10, Univ. of Northwestern 2 (5 innings)
Stout exploded for nine runs over the first two innings and never looked back in a decisive run-rule victory.
The Blue Devils put up five runs in the bottom of the first.
Payton Dolecki,
Stephanie Kuhn, and
Donna D'Addabbo led off the innings with back to back to back walks to load the bases.
Sarah Wilkins then cleared the bases with a grand slam.
Elly Holden and
Abbey Dusterhoft followed with singles, and
Mattie Schilling delivered a sacrifice fly to score Holden for the fifth run.
Stout added four more runs in the second. Dolecki doubled and scored on a single up the middle by Kuhn.
Sarah Wilkins drew a walk, and
Elly Holden capped the inning with a three-run home run, giving Stout a commanding 9-0 lead.
Northwestern managed single runs in the fourth and fifth, but
Elly Holden ended the game with her second homer of the game to give Stout the run rule win 10-2.
Elly Holden starred at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored, two home runs and four RBI.
Sarah Wilkins added a grand slam, four RBI and two runs scored.
Payton Dolecki contributed two hits, two runs and a stolen base, while
Stephanie Kuhn added an RBI and a stolen base.
Jennalyn Mallmann tossed a complete game in the circle to earn the win, limiting Northwestern to two runs on four hits.
The Blue Devils will be back in action on Saturday, April 18, when they travel to Whitewater, Wis. to play a doubleheader against the Warhawks.
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