Wisconsin Lutheran Secures Season's First Sweep

MELBOURNE, Fla. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College used a pair of offensive outbursts to earn a doubleheader sweep on Monday at the Space Coast Spring Games. The Warriors scored in each inning en route to an 8-0 run-rule victory in five innings against Anna Maria in game one, before an eight-run fourth inning completed the 8-5 comeback victory against Baldwin Wallace in game two at USSSA Space Coast Complex.
 
GAME 1
The Amcats threatened to score in the opening frame, but freshman Kieghtan Rank (Madison, Wis.) left a pair of runners on base to keep the game scoreless early. After singles by sophomore Madison Heller (South Milwaukee, Wis.) and senior Gwen Malecke (Gilberts, Ill.) led off the Warriors' half of the first, freshman Kylie Gaston (Albertville, Minn.) drove the pair in with a single to give WLC an early 2-0 advantage. Rank escaped trouble again in the second as AMC loaded the bases before Wisconsin Lutheran doubled its lead to 4-0 with RBIs from sophomore Ally Stancel (Yorkville, Ill.) and Heller. Wisconsin Lutheran broke the game open in the third as senior Allison Powers (Sun Prairie, Wis.) plated a pair with a double and later scored on a RBI single up the middle from freshman Raquel Shields (Itasca, Ill.), giving the Warriors a 7-0 advantage. WLC scored its final run in the fourth on a run-scoring double off the bat from Gaston, completing the 8-0 run-rule victory.

Wisconsin Lutheran had three players record multi-hit games as Heller went 2-for-3 with a triple, sophomore Alea Anhalt (Fond du Lac, Wis.) went 2-for-3, and Gaston added three RBI on a 2-for-2 performance. Rank recorded the first win of her career in a 5.0 inning complete game effort, allowing just three hits with no walks.

For Anna Maria (1-2), Kiki Hicks recorded two hits to lead the offense. Makenna Lovelette was tagged with the loss in the circle but did record the other hit for the Amcats in the contest.
 
GAME 2
The Yellow Jackets left a pair of runners on base in the first inning and the bases loaded in the second before finally breaking through on the scoreboard with a single tally in the third for a 1-0 lead. The Warriors responded with 11 straight runners reaching base en route to an eight-run inning, capitalizing on a pair of errors by BWU. Powers, sophomore Julianna Alloy (Harrison Township, Mich.), Stancel, freshman Mia Alejo (Sacramento, Calif.), Malecke, and Anhalt all recorded RBI in the frame. Baldwin Wallace cut the deficit to 8-5 as it scored four runs in the fourth. The Yellow Jackets brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth, but freshman Teagan Piven (Plainfield, Ill.) escaped the jam with a strikeout before retiring the side in order in the final frame to complete the 8-5 victory for WLC.

WLC recorded six hits in the contest and drew five walks, led by Anhalt's two-hit performance and two-run double from Malecke. Senior Melissa Tonn (West Allis, Wis.) earned her first win of the season in 5.0 innings of work with a trio of strikeouts. Piven added three punchouts of her own in 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.
 
BWU (1-1) tallied nine hits as a team as Sam Peterkoski, Maddie Lester, and Gillian Ryser each had multi-hit games. Lester suffered the loss in the circle for Baldwin Wallace despite allowing just one earned run in 3.1 innings of work.
 
Wisconsin Lutheran (3-5) returns to action on Wednesday at the Space Coast Spring Games with two games against Marietta (5-0) and Webster (0-5) scheduled at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. ET, respectively, at the USSSA Space Coast Complex. Live coverage links for both games can be found at WLCSports.com.