Pioneers Split on Day One of Coe Tournament

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team split its two games on Saturday in the first day of the Coe Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Pioneers dropped a 1-0 loss to the No. 2 Kohawks to start the day and followed that up with an 8-1 win over Ripon College.

In the 1-0 win by Coe, pitcher Ashlee Simon pitched a no-hitter and struck out 12 Pioneers to lead the second-ranked team to the win. Despite the loss, UW-Platteville starter Jeni Freiburger was impressive as well. The sophomore gave up just three hits, struck out two and an earned run as the tough-luck loser.

In the first, a RBI double by Abby Flanagan drove in Anna Corkery, who had stole second after a walk was the only run in the game. The Pioneers mounted a threat when Molly Rice reached base on an error. However, the Kohawks erased the threat when they threw out a Pioneer pinch runner.

After a silent offensive attack in the first game, the Pioneer offense erupted for a season-high eight runs en route to an 8-1 win over Ripon.

In the win, Ashlen Folkers went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI including a solo home run in the fifth inning that put UW-Platteville ahead 3-1. Also going 3-for-4 was Kayla Gosdeck, who also scored a run for the Pioneers.

After an early 1-0 deficit, UW-Platteville tied it in the third. To start the inning, Gosdeck singled up the middle. After being sacrificed over to second, she came in to score on a single to gap in right center by Folkers.

The Pioneers went ahead in the fourth and for the rest of the game on a RBI single by Colleen Lowe. They stretched the lead to 3-1 when Folkers went deep to start the fifth inning to greet relief pitcher Mallary Nissen. With a two-run lead, UW-Platteville blew the game wide open with a five-run seventh inning, three of which came around to score on the second homerun of the season by Ellyn Goerdt just over the center-field wall. Pioneer starting pitcher Melissa Anderson went the distance and raised her record to 4-1 with a four-strikeout performance.

UW-Platteville will wrap up its participation at the Coe Tournament with rematches against the same two teams on Sunday. The Pioneers will face Ripon at 1 p.m. and Coe at 3 p.m.