GRINNELL, Iowa – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (15-7) picked up a two wins in non-conference action on Saturday sweeping Grinnell (8-11) by 5-1 and 10-6 finals.
 
Abby Van Beek (Mayville, Wis./Mayville) was the winning pitcher in both games. At the plate, she collected five hits, two walks, three RBI and two runs scored.
 
Meg Lawrence (Antioch, Ill./Antioch Community) also had five hits on the day. She score three times. Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) and Becca Geiyer (Grayslake, Ill./Warren Township) each had two RBI in game two.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 5, Grinnell 1
Lawrence doubled with one away in the first and moved to third on an error. After Geiyer drew a walk, the Pointers went ahead on an attempted double steal.
 
Van Beek and Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) hit back-to-back singles with one out in the second. Emmie Cibrario (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) drew a walk to load the bases. Then with two away, Maddie Candre (St. Charles, Ill./East) drew a walk to push the lead to 2-0.
 
Grinnell got a run in the bottom of the frame and then the Pointers got back to work in the third. Geiyer walked with one down. Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) and Makenna Tkach (Streator, Ill./Marquette Academy) hit consecutive singles to plate a run. Baker and Cibrario each drove in a run with a hit to push the score to 5-1.
 
Van Beek went 4.0 in the start to pick up the win with five strikeouts. Tkach had two strikeouts to earn the save.
 
Game 2 – UWSP 10, Grinnell 6 (9)
Klicker and Lawrence drew walked sandwiched around a Candre double to load the bases. Geiyer lifted a sac fly to left and UWSP had a 1-0 lead.
 
The Pointers loaded the bases again in the third on a Candre walk, Lawrence single and Traxel walk. Van Beek cleared the bases with a double to right-center for a 4-0 lead.
 
Grinnell got three runs back in the fourth on two hits and an error.
 
UWSP got a leadoff double from Klicker in the seventh. She moved to third on a groundout and scored on a passed ball. Lawrence then tripled to right and came home on a single by Geiyer.
 
The Pioneers tied the game with three in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of hits. Neither team scored in the eighth, but UWSP did in the ninth.
 
Traxel led off with a single and Van Beek drew a walk. After both moved into scoring position on a sac bunt, Cibrario walked to load the bases. Lillie Lindgren (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) singled with two runs scoring on the play. Klicker followed with a two RBI single and UWSP went up 10-6.
 
Van Beek struck out a pair in the bottom of the ninth to secure the sweep.
 
The Pointers will travel to Madison on Sunday (April 10) to open league play with a make-up doubleheader against UW-La Crosse. First pitch at Madison College is set for 1:00 p.m.