Pioneers open season with pair of wins at Peoria Invite

PEORIA, Ill. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville softball team (2-0) opened its 2024 campaign with two wins Thursday at the Peoria Invite. The Pioneers started the day with an 8-0 shutout against Northland (0-1) in five innings and a 5-4 victory over Edgewood (0-2) in eight innings. 

UW-Platteville combined on the day for 22 hits, 13 runs, 12 RBI, four doubles, one triple and one homerun. Also notable, only three Pioneers struck out across the 13 innings. 

In game one, junior pitcher Taylor Roughen (1-0) picked up right where she left off last season in the circle, striking out seven of 12 batters faced, walking none and allowing zero hits across four innings pitched. 

On offense, freshman leadoff Mia Savage went 3-for-4 with three RBI in the collegiate debut. The Pioneers got on the board in the bottom of the second with two outs when senior Danielle Trumbo ran in sophomore Kate Davis with a single to third base. Two batters later, Savage singled to left field to bring in two more runs.  

The Pioneers went up 5-0 in the fourth inning when senior Payton Marvin tripled to left field and sophomore Jaena Michalak singled to run in Marvin. UW-Platteville scored the two final runs in the fifth, with two outs already on the board, to finish the win in five innings. 

In the second game, after falling behind 2-0, the Pioneers tied the game when freshman Allison Peters homered to centerfield and senior Kendall Drake stole home in the fourth inning.

UW-Platteville took the lead in the fifth behind two unearned runs, but Edgewood sent the game to extra innings when the Eagles scored two run in the bottom of the seventh. 

The eventual game-winning run was driven in by freshman Norah Mungle in the top of the eighth. The Pioneers kept the game from going to a ninth inning when Elizabeth Maraski lined one into double play, with a bomb of a throw being sent from right field to home plate for the third and final out. 

Sophomore Carlie Jo Brownlee (1-0) captured the win and pitched the final 4.2 innings, striking out one, walking none and allowing two hits. 

The Pioneers will return to action early Friday morning when they take on Mount Mary at 8 a.m. followed by Elmhurst at 12:30 p.m. in Peoria.