CLERMONT, Fla. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (14-2) won two more games in Florida on Thursday. The Pointers staged a two-out seventh inning rally to beat William Paterson (0-9) by a 4-3 final. Then, the Pointers run-ruled No. 14 Tufts (8-2) by an 8-0 final in six innings.
Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) and
Ashley Zygowski (Saukville, Wis./Port Washington) combined for a two hit shutout as the Pointers handed the No. 14 Jumbos their second defeat of the day. Zygowski also tossed 3.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in the opener.
Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) had four hits on the day. She went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored against WP. She added an RBI and scored a run versus Tufts.
Kaitlyn Roberts (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) and
Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) had three hits each on the day, each extending their hit streak to eight games.
Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) and
Allie Meyers (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) each hit safely in both games.
Game 1 – UWSP 4, William Paterson 3
Klicker drew a walk to lead off the game. She scored on a double by Baker to give UWSP a 1-0 lead. With two away,
Sophia Heckendorf (Jackson, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) doubled to left-center to put the Pointers in front, 2-0.
The Pioneers got on the board in the third with three runs on five hits to take a 3-2 lead.
Klicker and Roberts hit consecutive one-out singles in the fifth. Baker drew a two-out walk, but UWSP left the bases loaded without a run scoring.
Traxel singled with two outs in the seventh. She stole second and scored on a single by Baker to tie the game at 3-3. Meyers followed with an RBI single to put UWSP up, 4-3.
Elli Matzke (Glendale Heights, Ill./Glenbard North) picked up her first career save with a scoreless bottom of the seventh. She started and tossed a total of 3.1 innings. She struck out one. Zygowski struck out six in the game.
Game 2 – UWSP 8, Tufts 0 (6)
Klicker tripled to right to start the bottom of the first inning. Roberts reached on an error to drive in the first run. Singles by Traxel and Baker gave UWSP a 2-0 advantage. With two away,
Abby Van Beek (Mayville, Wis./Mayville) hit a bases-clearing double to put the Pointers in front, 5-0, after one.
The score remained 5-0 until the bottom of the sixth.
Emma Stolzman (McHenry, Ill./McHenry Community) was hit by a pitch to begin the frame. Two errors and a sac bunt pushed in a run for UWSP. Roberts reached on an infield single to make it 7-0. The Pointers then sent both runners and an overthrow at third let the walk-off run score.
Harwood scattered two hits over 5.0 scoreless. Zygowski struck out one in an inning of work in relief.
The Pointers close out the week in Florida with a pair of games on Friday (March 22). UWSP is slated to face Carleton at 9:00 a.m. ET and finish the trip against Smith at 1:30 p.m. ET.
