Pioneers Take Two from Beloit

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team swept a doubleheader against Beloit College on Wednesday afternoon for its first twinbill sweep since the two teams last met up in 2010.

The Pioneers won the opener, 6-1 and took the nightcap by an 8-1 margin to improve their record to 13-9 on the season. The two losses drop the Buccaneers to 5-15 on the 2012 season.

In the first game, it was a solid balance of pitching from Melissa Anderson and an offensive attack that pounded out 11 hits including three each from Chantal McReynolds and Molly Rice that sparked the Pioneers.

UW-Platteville took a 1-0 lead on a Nathalie Schattner sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. Then, in the circle, Anderson struck out five-consecutive Buccaneers to keep them off the scoreboard and did not allow a hit until the bottom of the third inning.

Beloit managed to tie the game in the fourth on a solo home run but the Pioneers plated two runs on a two-RBI single by Ellyn Goerdt and three more in the sixth for the 6-1 win. In the sixth, two came around to score on a home run by Ashlen Folkers and Schattner drove in her second run of the game with a single up the middle.

In the top of the seventh, Anderson gave up a single to start the inning but that threat was quickly erased as the Pioneers turned in a textbook 6-4-3 double play and got a fly out to raise her record to 7-4. Beloit starter Katy Sandt struck out eight to become the program’s all-time career strikeout leader in a losing cause to fall to 2-8.

In the nightcap, the bats remained hot and the pitching just as dominant for the Pioneers, who posted an 8-1 win. 10 different players contributed to a 15-hit attack for UW-Platteville and Jeni Freiburger held Beloit to just four hits and struck out six to raise her record to 5-4.

In the first inning, the Pioneers plated three runs on five hits for an early 3-0 lead. The runs came on a RBI groundout by Folkers, a solo home run by Ellyn Goerdt – her third of the season – and a RBI double by Rice.

Freiburger gave up her only run in the second inning with the second solo home run of the day by Beloit to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Pioneers held a two-run lead until they plated a run in the third inning on just one hit and took advantage of two walks and a Beloit passed ball to stretch the lead to three, 4-1.

The Pioneers stranded the bases loaded in the fifth but continued its offensive prowess with multiple newcomers getting clutch hits. Jesse Mergen started the inning with a double-down the left-field line. Taylor Ruchti came off the bench to drive in Mergen with a double down the left-field line. A pinch-hit single by Haley Salazar put runners on the corners. Then, pinch hitter Cassandra Bonin drove both in on RBI single through the right side but was thrown out on her way to second.

In the sixth, UW-Platteville added its final run on a bases loaded walk to Audrey Gronen for the final run of the contest. Freiburger closed out the game in the seventh with a strikeout and a strong defensive play inside the circle to secure the win.

Next, the Pioneers take to the road to Menomonie, where they will face UW-Stout on Friday at 1 p.m. in a WIAC doubleheader.