CLERMONT, Fla. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (10-4) knocked off the first ranked opponent it faced this season with a 4-2 win over No. 10 Tufts (4-2) on Monday. The win came as part of another split in Florida after UWSP fell, 19-2, to St. Catherine (7-4).
Jenna Eilers (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) had three hits on the day. She scored a run in the win over Tufts.
Maddie Candre (St. Charles, Ill./East) and
Meg Lawrence (Antioch, Ill./Antioch Community) had a hit in each game for UWSP.
Game 1: UWSP 2, St. Catherine 19 (5)
The Pointers fell behind in the top of the first as St. Kate's plated nine runs on six hits.
UWSP got right to work in the bottom of the first. Candre singled up the middle.
Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) and
Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) followed with base hits to load the bases. Two batters later, Lawrence singled and two runs came home on the play.
Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) led off the second with a double, She only advanced as far as third base as the inning ended. In the fourth inning, Eilers slapped a triple into the left field corner, but she was thrown out at the plate trying to stretch it into an inside-the-park home run.
The Pointers got two aboard in the fifth, but were unable to push either home. The Wildcats posted eight runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
Game 2: UWSP 4, Tufts 2
Lawrence tripled to lead off the top of the second. Two batters later,
Abby Van Beek (Mayville, Wis./Mayville) hit a sac fly to put UWSP up, 1-0.
Eilers drew a leadoff walk in the third. Candre followed with a double and Klicker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Consecutive sac flies by Traxel and
Becca Geiyer (Grayslake, Ill./Warren Township) pushed the UWSP advantage to 3-0.
In the fourth, Baker started the inning with a walk. After stealing second, she scored with two outs on an infield single and a throwing error.
The Jumbos got single tallies in the sixth and the seventh, but Van Beek closed the door with a strikeout with the bases loaded to end the game.
UWSP will face Kalamazoo and Chicago on Tuesday (March 22). Game times are slated for 11:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. ET.