Warriors Stave Off Pioneers For 4-3 Victory

MELBOURNE, Fla. (WLCSports.com) - Freshman Kylie Gaston (Albertville, Minn.) broke a sixth-inning tie with a RBI single to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 4-3 non-conference victory over Grinnell on Thursday in the Space Coast Spring Games at USSSA Space Coast Complex.

The Pioneers used a two-out RBI single in the second inning to take an early 1-0 lead. The Warriors knotted the score in the fourth when sophomore Julianna Alloy (Harrison Township, Mich.) drove in sophomore Amara Martinez (Freeport, Texas). GC threatened in its half of the fourth, but senior Melissa Tonn (West Allis, Wis.) stranded the go-ahead runner on third base with a groundout. After senior Gwen Malecke (Gilberts, Ill.) led off the sixth with a single, Gaston put Wisconsin Lutheran in front with a RBI single. Two batters later, sophomore Sommer Krull (New London, Wis.) scored Gaston and Alloy on a double to the gap in right center, giving the Warriors a 4-1 advantage. Grinnell got a pair of runs back in its half of the frame, but freshman Teagan Piven (Plainfield, Ill.) escaped with the lead intact and left the tying run on base. The Pioneers threatened one last time in the seventh, but an outfield assist cut down the tying run at third base before Piven closed out the contest with a strikeout.

Gaston recorded two hits and a RBI to pace WLC, while Alloy and Krull each added a hit and RBI in the non-conference win. Tonn earned her third win of the season as she allowed just one run on two hits with four punchouts in 5.0 innings. Piven picked up the save, her third of the year, after closing out the final 2.0 innings.

GC had a balanced attack offensively as six different players recorded a hit. Hannah Dykstra went 1-for-1 with a RBI and two runs scored. Emma Trani allowed three earned runs on five hits in 5.1 innings as she suffered the defeat in the circle.  

Wisconsin Lutheran (5-6) concludes its spring break trip at the Space Coast Spring Games on Friday with games against Grinnell (0-2) and Nebraska Wesleyan (10-2) at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. ET, respectively. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.