UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point Split Doubleheader

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team split a doubleheader on Monday with UW-Stevens Point, winning the opener, 5-4 and dropping the nightcap, 9-0. With the twinbill split, the Pioneers are now 14-20 overall and 4-8 in the WIAC; whereas, the Pointers are now 18-14 overall and 4-8 in the WIAC.

Game 1
In the tightly contested game one, in the seventh inning, a double to the gap in left-center field by junior Chantal McReynolds drove in senior Samantha Niemann from first base for the one-run victory.

Prior to the heroics by McReynolds, in the seventh, UW-Platteville freshman Ellyn Goerdt (pictured) tied the game at four in the bottom of the sixth with her first career home run over the left-field fence. The Pointers and the Pioneers had exchanged leads throughout the contest.

UW-Stevens Point got on the board in the first inning for an early 1-0 advantage. However, the Pioneers tied it when Goerdt, who had reached on a double, scored on a RBI double by Molly Rice in the second inning.

UW-Platteville took its first lead in the third inning. With runners on the corners after a walk to McReynolds and infield single by Brittany Caley, the Pioneers’ first baseman Jordan Johnson picked up a RBI single. Next, Goerdt scored Caley from second base with a single up the middle to put UW-Platteville in front 3-1.

UW-Stevens Point scored once in the fifth and plated two more in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. The Pioneers answered the Pointers effort when Goerdt went deep in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game for the third time.

With the game tied at 4, in the bottom of the seventh, the Pioneers’ Samantha Niemann delivered a one-out single to left field. Then, McReynolds drove in Niemann with her second hit of the afternoon with a double for the Pioneer victory.

Game 2
In game two, UW-Stevens Point scored three times in the first and fourth inning, twice in the seventh and once in the seventh for the 9-0 victory.

After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first, the Pioneers mounted a threat with two base runners only to leave them stranded on a ground out to end the inning. UW-Platteville would leave eight runners on base in the loss, including the bases loaded in the fifth.

For UW-Stevens Point, Kimberly Liegel had three hits and Kelly Arndt and Elyse Nelson each added two more to lead a 12-hit attack. Six different Pioneers had a hit in the loss for UW-Platteville.

The Pioneers will next take on UW-Superior on Saturday, April 30 in a doubleheader at noon.