DECATUR, Ill. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (8-2) earned another split on Sunday to close out play at the Millikin Invite. The Pointers defeated Grinnell (3-6) by a 6-1 score to open the day before falling to DePauw (3-5) by a 6-4 score in the finale.
Kaitlyn Roberts (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) had three hits and three RBI on the day. She also scored a run and drew two walks.
Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) added three RBI, as well, and hit safely in both games. She scored three runs on the day.
Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) had a hit and an RBI in each game.
Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) had a hit in each game with two walks and a run scored.
Game 1 – UWSP 6, Grinnell 1
Roberts drew a one-out walk in the first. Traxel and Baker hit back-to-back singles, but UWSP stranded the bases loaded with a run in the inning.
A Grinnell error opened the door to begin the second. Klicker hit a sac fly with one away to get the Pointers on the board. Roberts followed with an RBI double for a 2-0 lead.
Emma Stolzman (McHenry, Ill./McHenry Community) singled with two outs in the third.
Sophia Heckendorf (Jackson, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and
Trinity Otto (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) followed with consecutive hits as the lead grew to 3-0.
Traxel hit a sac fly in the fourth to make it 4-0. Roberts blasted a two-out RBI triple in the fifth. The Pointers got a run in the seventh on three Grinnell errors.
Elli Matzke (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard North) scattered three hits over 4.0 innings. She improved to 4-0 with three strikeouts in the game.
Ashley Zygowski (Saukville, Wis./Port Washington) notched her fifth save of the season with 3.0 hitless innings. She struck out four.
Game 2 – UWSP 4, DePauw 6
DePauw turned a leadoff walk into a run in the top of the first. A stole base, groundout and sac bunt plated the run. The Tigers pushed UWSP's deficit to 2-0 with an unearned run in the fourth.
The Pointers broke through in the fifth. Heckendorf reached on a one-out error.
Allie Meyers (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) drew a walk as did
Emmie Cibrario (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) to load the bases. Klicker drove home two with a double to tie the game at 2-2.
DePauw retook the lead in the sixth with two runs on four hits. Zygowski limited the damage stranding the bases loaded. The Tigers added two more runs on three hits in the seventh.
Cibrario singled with one down in the bottom of the seventh. Klicker replaced her at first on a fielder's choice. Roberts then ripped a triple to push home a run. Traxel followed with a single to get UWSP within 6-4. Baker drew a walk and both runners stole a base into scoring position, but both were stranded to end the game.
Zygowski and Matzke each had a strikeout in the circle.
Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) fanned three.
The Pointers return to action at The Spring Games in Florida on March 18. The eight-game trip begins against Western New England on March 18 at 9:15 a.m. ET.
