PEORIA, Ill. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (4-0) got off to its best start since 2012 with a pair of victories at the MMU Collegiate Slugger Series on Friday.  The Pointers won a 2-1 pitching duel over Wisconsin Lutheran (1-2) before completing a 9-1 run-rule victory over Concordia University Chicago (0-2).
 
Sammy Buerger (Oshkosh, Wis./North) had a monster day with six RBI, including a grand slam.  Maddie Candre (St. Charles, Ill./East) extended her hitting streak to 10 games with a hit in each game.  She drove in a run and scored twice against CUC.
 
Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) continued to demolish the softball.  She had three hits and scored three times on the day.  Megan Lawrence (Antioch, Ill./Antioch Community) hit safely in both games with a run scored in game two.
 
Reigning WIAC Pitcher of the Week Makenna Tkach (Streator, Ill./Marquette Academy) earned the win in game one, her sixth victory in as many career decisions.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 2, WLC 1
Traxel led off the bottom of the first with a single to center.  Candre reached on a fielder's choice error and both advanced into scoring position on a groundout.  Buerger lifted a sac fly to center as UWSP took a 1-0 lead.
 
Becca Geiyer (Grayslake, Ill./Warren Township) sparked a two-out rally with an infield single.  After stealing second, Geiyer scored on another WLC miscue.
 
UWSP starter Tkach allowed the first base runners in the fourth.  A walk and two hits later, the Warriors cut the Pointers' lead in half.
 
WLC began the seventh with a pair of hits.  After a one-out intentional walk, Tkach reentered and struck out the final two batters with the bases loaded to secure the victory.
 
Tkach tossed 5.2 innings and struck out six.  Lauren Lindahl (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) had one strikeout in 1.1 innings.
 
Game 2 – UWSP , CUC
Luedtke led off the second game with a single up the middle. After a caught stealing, Traxel was hit by a pitch, Candre and Megan Lawrence (Antioch, Ill./Antioch Community) walked to load the bases.  Buerger again pushed home the first run with a sac fly to center.
 
Candre started UWSP's third with a walk.  Lawrence singled and both runners  moved into scoring position on a sac bunt by Buerger.  Allie Meyers (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) drove in two with an infield single to push the Pointers lead to 3-0.
 
In the fourth inning, Luedtke reached on a one-out error.  Traxel singled to right putting runners at the corners.  Luedtke came home to make it 4-0 as Traxel was caught during an attempted double steal.
 
Freshman Delaney Kunkel (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) notched her first career hit with a one-out single in the sixth.  After a CUC error, Traxel singled to load the bases.  Candre followed with an RBI single leaving the bases loaded for Buerger, who blasted an 0-2 pitch out to left for the grand slam.
 
The Cougars were able to break the shutout bid with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but UWSP was able to complete the run-rule victory in six.
 
Meyers started and went 3.0 innings to pick up the win.  She struck out two and allowed just two hits.  MacKenzie Honish (Oconto, Wis./Oconto) struck out three in 2.1 frames.  Lindahl closed the door, recording the final two outs.
 
The Pointers return to Peoria, Ill., on Thursday (March 4) for a pair of games.  UWSP will face St. Scholastica at 5:45 p.m. and Dubuque at 7:30 p.m.