PEORIA, Ill. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (4-0) completed an undefeated start to its tenure at the Blue Angel Invite on Friday. The Pointers took care of Knox (1-2) in run-rule fashion, 10-1, in five innings. UWSP then got past Loras (2-2) with a 2-1 win.
 
Emmie Cibrario (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) was on base and moving all day as she racked up four stolen bases over the two games. She had three hits, drove in two and scored a run.
 
Emma Stolzman (McHenry, Ill./McHenry Community) had two hits and drove in three against Knox. Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) had two hits and two RBI on the day.
 
In the circle, Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) notched her second win of the season. Elli Matzke (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard North) recorded her first career win. Ashley Zygowski (Saukville, Wis./Port Washington) earned her second save of the season.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 10, Knox 1 (5)
Hannah Roepke (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) opened the bottom of the first inning with a four-pitch walk. She scored the first run on the next play as an errant throw sailed to the fence and batter Kaitlyn Roberts (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) ended up at third. Traxel drove her in the a groundout for a 2-0 lead. Allie Meyers (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) drew a walk and Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) singled. Stolzman followed with a two-RBI double as UWSP was ahead, 4-0, after one.
 
Cibrario singled to begin the second. She stole second and third in the frame, the latter a double steal with Roepke, who had drawn her second free pass of the game. Traxel plated a run with a sac fly to push the lead to 5-0.
 
Meyers led off the third with a double. She scored on another Knox miscue. Then with two down, Cibrario singled to push home another run for a 7-0 lead.
 
Roberts reached on an infield single and stole second to start the fourth inning. Two batters later, Abby Geis (Wonder Lake, Ill./McHenry Community) recorded her first career hit, an RBI single to right. She stole second and Sawyer Holberg (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln) drove her home with a double to left, her first UWSP hit. With two away, Stolzman singled up the middle to push the advantage to 10-0.
 
Knox plated a run in the top of the fifth off two walks, a single and a groundout.
 
Harwood went 3.0 in the start to earn the win. She struck out one. Caitlin Hartsell (Montgomery, Ill./Oswego) made her UWSP debut and tossed the final 2.0 frames with one strikeout.
 
Game 2 – UWSP 2, Loras 1
Roberts drew a walk with one away in the first inning. She stole second. After moving to third on a groundout, she came home on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.
 
Stolzman drew a walk to start the fifth inning. Sophia Heckendorf (Jackson, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) dropped a sac bunt. She reached and Stolzman advanced to third on an errant throw. Two batters later, Cibrario dropped a sac bunt and also reached on a throwing error as UWSP took a 2-0 lead.
 
The Duhawks got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a walk, sac bunt and UWSP error.
 
Zygowski closed the door, stranding the tying run aboard. She struck out two in the sixth and induced a game-ending double play in the seventh to pick up the save.
 
Matzke scattered two hits over 4.0 innings pitched to earn the win. She struck out one. Zygowski struck out three in 3.0 frames of work for the save.
 
The Pointers return to action on Friday (Mar. 1) with a doubleheader against Wisconsin Lutheran. First pitch is slated for 11:00 a.m. in the Hodag Dome in Rhinelander.