STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (6-0) took advantage of the opportunity to play games at McCarty Memorial Field with a pair of 8-0 run-rule wins over Wisconsin Lutheran (0-2) on Friday.
 
UWSP pitchers Elli Matzke (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard North), Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) and Ashley Zygowski (Saukville, Wis./Port Washington) combined for two two-hit shutouts with 17 combined strikeouts. Matzke and Harwood each earned a win improving to 2-0 and 3-0, respectively, on the season. Zygowski earned her third save of the season in game one.
 
Offensively, Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community), Kaitlyn Roberts (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) and Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) had four hits each on the day. Roberts belted the first UWSP home run of the year and drove in five. Klicker tied a school record with two triples in game one and added a double in game two. Traxel had two RBI in each game.
 
Abby Van Beek (Mayville, Wis./Mayville) added three hits on the day. She drove in three runs in game two. Emmie Cibrario (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) also had three hits. She scored a run in each game and had a RBI in game two.
 
Game 1: UWSP 8, WLC 0 (6)
Klicker singled with one down in the third and stole second. She scored on a Traxel single with two outs as the Pointers took a 1-0 lead.
 
Klicker hit her first triple of the game to lead off the fifth. Roberts followed with a two-run home run to left. Traxel followed with a double. Two batters later, Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) singled to plate Traxel. With two away, Van Beek pinch hit and hit an RBI single as UWSP took a 5-0 lead.
 
Cibrario began the sixth with a single. Klicker hit another triple to push her home. Roberts double to drive in another. Traxel hit a single as UWSP walked-off with the 8-0 win.
 
Matzke picked up the victory with 4.0 scoreless innings. She allowed just two hits, both in the first inning. She had two strikeouts. Zygowski tossed the final 2.0 frames with five strikeouts to earn the save.
 
Game 2: UWSP 8, WLC 0 (6)
Baker led off the second with a single. After moving to second on a groundout, Van Beek drove her home with a double down the left field line for a 1-0 advantage.
 
A WLC error opened the door to begin the fourth. Pinch runner Abby Gies stole second. Baker followed with a walk and both runners stole bases into scoring position. Two batters later, Van Beek singled to plate both runners. With two down, Cibrario singled to drive in another run for a 4-0 lead.
 
Trinity Otto (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) singled with one out in the sixth. Cibrario singled and Klicker drew a walk to load the bases. Roberts nearly hit a grand slam, rapping a double off the wall in left to drive in two. Traxel followed with a two-RBI single for another 8-0 walk-off win.
 
Harwood went 4.0 in the start to earn the win. She improved to 3-0 on the season with seven strikeouts in the game. Zygowski went 2.0 in relief with three strikeouts. She did not allow a hit on the day.
 
UWSP will travel to the Millikin Invite on March 9 and 10. The Pointers face host Millikin in the opener on March 9 at 12:30 p.m. to begin the four-game weekend.