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Box Score 2 MILWAUKEE - Senior pitcher Kendra Thomas (Jenison, Mich./Jenison) celebrated Senior Day for herself and five teammates with a pair of complete game victories to lift the Wisconsin Lutheran College softball team to 7-1 and 1-0 wins over Edgewood Saturday afternoon at Neumann Family Fields. WLC (26-14, 16-6 NACC) closed the regular season with five straight victories, and has clinched the two seed in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament, which begins Thursday.
Game two was a pitcher's duel that was scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning. Kaitlyn Robison (Andalusia, Ill./Rockridge) reached second on a two-base error to lead off the frame. Mindy Schalinske (Burlington, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) sacrificed her to third and Dayan Gacgacao (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) reached on a bunt single. Brittney Blazich (Bristol, Wis./Westosha Central) walked to load the bases. With two outs, Emily Sievert (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) worked the count full before drawing a walk-off walk to hand the Warriors a 1-0 victory and a doubleheader sweep. It was WLC's seventh walk-off victory of the season.
Thomas (23-9) threw a two-hitter, walked three, and struck out one. Katie Klossner tossed four scoreless frames for Edgewood (18-19, 8-14 NACC) before giving way to Rachel DeJongh (10-10), who was charged with the loss after giving up the unearned run in 2.2 innings.
WLC's bats went to work early in the first game of the twinbill, as it scored single runs in each of the first three innings. Schalinske and Sievert each drove in a run in the second and third inning, respectively. The Eagles lone run of the day came in the fifth on an RBI single by Dylan Bahrke.
The Warriors responded with their final four runs in the bottom of the inning. Robison and Schalinske each drove in a run before Blazich capped the inning with a two-run single to left to make it 7-1.
Thomas scattered nine hits, struck out two, and walked none in the victory. Blazich was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, and Sievert was also 3-for-4 with one RBI and a run scored. Alicia Barbian (Waterford, Wis./Waterford), Tara Degl'Innocenti (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North), and Morgan O'Hanlon (Lowell, Ind./Lowell) recorded two hits apiece.
Jackie Diesch (3-1) gave up three runs in 3.0 innings in the loss for Edgewood. Carlene DeCoster was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Bahrke was 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Warriors seniors Jinny Curtis (Muskego, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran), Alex Hackel (Crete, Ill./Illinois Lutheran), Jenny Rechlicz (West Allis, Wis./Nathan Hale), Schalinske, Sievert, and Thomas were honored on the field in between games of the doubleheader.
Wisconsin Lutheran will open NACC Tournament play Thursday at 2 p.m. at Alverno Field in Milwaukee against the winner of third-seeded Benedictine (28-11, 16-6 NACC) and sixth-seeded MSOE (24-16, 11-11 NACC). Links to live stats and video will be available on wlcsports.com.
