CLERMONT, Fla. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (10-2) won a pair of games to open play at the Spring Games in Florida on Monday. Both victories were earned by Ashley Zygowski (Saukville, Wis./Port Washington) in the circle, a 5-2 win over Western New England (0-5) in the opener and 5-3 over Manchester (3-3).
 
Zygowski fired a combined 7.2 innings over the two wins, all in relief. She struck out nine on the day and scattered just two hits while not allowing a run against.
 
Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) and Allie Meyers (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) had four hits each on the day. Meyers drove in a run in each game. Traxel scored a run in each game and had an RBI. Kaitlyn Roberts (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) added three hits on the day with a run scored in each contest.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 5, WNE 2
Roberts doubled with one away in the first. Traxel followed with a double as UWSP took a 1-0 lead. The Pointers tacked on another run in the frame on a WNE error.
 
Emma Stolzman (McHenry, Ill./McHenry Community) led off the second with a walk. Trinity Otto (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) was hit by a pitch and both runners moved up on a passed ball. With one down, Emmie Cibrario (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) hit an RBI single to put UWSP in front, 3-0.
 
WNE hit a pair of doubles with a walk in between to score twice and cut UWSP's lead to 3-2.
 
Otto led drew a walk to begin the fourth. Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) singled with one out. Otto moved to third on a flyout and a double steal plated a run for a 4-2 lead.
 
Sophia Heckendorf (Jackson, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) reached on a one-out error by WNE. With two down, Otto drove in a run with a single up the middle to complete the scoring.
 
Zygowski entered with two aboard and one out in the third. After a walk loaded the bases, she struck out back-to-back hitters to strand the bases loaded. She struck out eight in 4.2 hitless frames to get the first win of the day.
 
Game 2 – UWSP 5, MU 3
Manchester broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with three runs on three hits and a pair of UWSP miscues.
 
Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) walked to begin the bottom of the fourth. Meyers doubled to put two in scoring position. Abby Van Beek (Mayville, Wis./Mayville) drove in a run with a groundout to make it 3-1.
 
Roberts singled to lead off the fifth. Traxel doubled to put runners in scoring position. Baker reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Meyers singled up the middle to push in a run. Heckendorf hit an infield single and two runs scored to give the Pointers a 4-3 lead. Stolzman legged out a bunt single to reload the bases. Cibrario hit an RBI single with two away to push the advantage to 5-3.
 
Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) struck out five in the start. She went 4.0 innings with just one earned run against. Zygowski fanned one in the final 3.0 to earn her second win of the day.
 
The Pointers continue play with two games on Tuesday (March 19). UWSP faces Amherst at 11:15 a.m. ET before taking on Bates at 1:30 p.m. ET.