Pioneers Take Two from UW-La Crosse

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team swept a doubleheader from host UW-La Crosse on Thursday afternoon in La Crosse.

The Pioneers (15-11, 5-3 WIAC) put together a solid all-around team performance in the doubleheader sweep with a healthy mixture of offense at the plate, defense in the field and in the circle from pitchers Melissa Anderson and Jeni Freiburger.

It is the first doubleheader sweep by the Pioneers against UW-La Crosse since the WIAC went to single day, doubleheaders in 2006.

The Eagles (16-7, 1-3 WIAC) were held to five hits in each contest by Pioneer pitching and playing in just their third home date of the season.

In game one, Melissa Anderson went the distance for UW-Platteville, scattering five hits, unearned run and walking one to raise her record to 8-5. Offensively for the Pioneers, three players had two hits including Chantal McReynolds, Ellyn Goerdt and Audrey Gronen.

The Pioneers got on the board in the second inning as Ellyn Goerdt singled through the left side to start the inning. She moved to second on a Colleen Lowe sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a ground out. Then, she scampered home on a wild pitch to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead.

UW-Platteville stretched its lead to 3-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-RBI single by Lowe. To start the inning, Nathalie Schattner doubled to left field and a Goerdt single put runners on the corners for Lowe. After Goerdt stole second, Lowe singled to right field to plate Goerdt and Schattner for the early 2-0 advantage.

UW-La Crosse came back to plate its only run of the contest in its half of the fourth to cut the Pioneer lead to 3-1 but the Pioneers added to their lead with a RBI single by Jordan Johnson in the sixth.

A couple defensive plays by the Pioneers in the sixth inning kept UW-La Crosse off the scoreboard. To start the inning, Sheehan singled but was thrown out at second by Goerdt from left field in an attempt to stretch it to a double. Then, after a single by Keyes, the Pioneers’ Melissa Anderson got out of a jam with a ground ball that got the force out at second and a ground ball to Lowe at third.

In the nightcap, UW-Platteville rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the fifth with three unearned runs for a 3-1 win to complete the sweep.

UW-La Crosse went ahead in the third inning on a RBI double by Katie Fink. Earlier in the inning, the Eagles had a runner on third with one out and on an attempted bunt by Kristin Goeser of UW-La Crosse an alert Pioneer catcher Molly Rice got the runner coming in from third out at the plate. The next batter – Fink drove in Goeser with a double to the gap in left center for an early 1-0 lead.

With two out, in the fifth, Kayla Gosdeck reached on a bunt single for the Pioneers. The speedy Gosdeck moved into scoring position with a stolen base with Chantal McReynolds at the plate. The senior from Mineral Point reached on an infield single and Gosdeck advanced to third to bring Ashlen Folkers to the plate. Then, the junior was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Nathalie Schattner, who hit the ball at the UW-La Crosse pitcher, who promptly made an error to score Gosdeck and McReynolds to put the Pioneers up 2-1 and for the first time in the nightcap. The Pioneers added its third run of the inning on a RBI single by Goerdt, scoring Folkers from third.

In the circle, the Pioneers’ Freiburger got out of a jam in the sixth inning as the Eagles had runners on first and second before getting a pop out to end the threat. She also escaped damage in the seventh when a batter reached on a walk but got a ground out and foul out to end the game and preserve the win.

The Belmont native went all seven innings, scattering five hits and striking out two in the process to raise her record to 6-5 on the season.

The Pioneers will next face UW-Stevens Point on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Stevens Point.