Pioneers Drop Two to Cornell

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team dropped a doubleheader to host Cornell College, 4-1 and 8-0 on Tuesday afternoon. The Pioneers fall to 11-15 on the season and Cornell improves to 17-5.

In game one, Cornell pitchers Jill Trzaska and Jackie Sernek combined to hold UW-Platteville to just one hit each. The Rams scored twice in the first inning and scored a run each in the third and in the fifth en route to the win.

A RBI single by Goolsby and a sacrifice fly put the home team up by a 2-0 margin in the first inning. The Pioneers got on the board on a solo home run by sophomore Colleen Lowe (pictured). Holding a 2-1 lead, the Rams added to their lead in the third inning on a RBI single to stretch the lead to 3-1.

Despite a two-run lead, Cornell brought in a new pitcher – Jackie Sernek - to start the fourth and junior Jordan Johnson greeted her with a double to the gap in right center. Next, freshman Ellyn Goerdt reached on an error to put runners on the corners and none out.

Sernek got out of the jam with a strike out and a double play to end the threat by the Pioneers. Sernek and the Rams got an insurance run in the fifth to stretch the margin to 4-1.

For the Pioneers, sophomore Melissa Anderson was the losing pitcher, scattering seven hits and allowing four runs – three of which were earned to fall to 8-4 on the season.

In game two, the Pioneers were held to two hits for the second-straight game by Rams’ pitchers Laura Iversen and Amanda Engel.

The game was 1-0 after Cornell scored in the second inning and remained close until the home team scored four in the fifth and three in the sixth for the win.

Both of the Pioneer hits came off the bat of sophomore Brittany Caley, who had a single in both the second and fifth inning. Seven Rams contributed to an eight-hit attack, including two hits from Laurel Wilhelm.

Pioneers’ starter Amber Bishop pitched the entire 5 1/3 innings, striking out one, allowing eight runs – four earned in the loss to fall to 0-3. For the Rams, Iversen surrendered the two singles to Caley and struck out five to raise her record to 2-1.

Next, the Pioneers return to the rigors of WIAC play on Thursday at 3 pm when they host UW-La Crosse in a doubleheader at the UWP Softball Complex.