ROCKFORD, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College swept its first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader of the season on Saturday, defeating Rockford 8-0 and 11-5 at Regent Field.
Game 1: Wisconsin Lutheran 8, Rockford 0
The Warriors (11-11, 5-3 NACC) were held in check early before breaking through in the fifth. Junior
Madison Heller (South Milwaukee, Wis.) sparked the offense with an inside-the-park homerun, giving WLC a 1-0 lead.
The lead grew in the sixth as sophomore
Maritza Martinez (Kenosha, Wis.) delivered an RBI triple, then came home on a steal of home to make it 3-0.
Wisconsin Lutheran put the game away in the seventh, capitalizing on three Regents errors and timely hitting. Freshman
Anna Bracke (Brookfield, Wis.) reached on an error that brought home a run, freshman
Addyson Wheeler (Freeport, Ill.) added a sacrifice fly, and freshman
Katelyn Ruth (Canton, Mich.) followed with an RBI single. Martinez capped the inning with her second triple of the game, driving in another run as the Warriors scored five times in the frame.
Martinez led WLC at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two triples and two RBIs. Heller finished 2-for-2 with the inside-the-park homer and an RBI, while junior
Julianna Alloy (Harrison Township, Mich.) added two hits. Sophomore
Teagan Piven (Plainfield, Ill.) earned the win in the circle, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings while allowing six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Sophomore
Alyssa Dinnauer (Dousman, Wis.) closed out the game with a perfect final inning, striking out three.
RU (10-14, 6-8 NACC) was led offensively by Brooklyn Lee, who went 3-for-3. Tomi Hill, Payton Willenkamp, and Sophia Hulsey each added a hit for Rockford, which stranded seven runners in the loss.
Game 2: Wisconsin Lutheran 11, Rockford 5
The Regents jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second inning following a two-run ground-rule double and a two-run single to cap the rally.
Wisconsin Lutheran chipped away, scoring single runs in the third and fourth innings before taking its first lead in the fifth. Wheeler launched a two-run homerun to put the Warriors ahead 5-4.
RU answered in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homerun to tie the game at 5-5.
The Warriors seized control in the sixth. Sophomore
Kylie Gaston's (Albertville, Minn.) pinch-hit three-run homer highlighted a four-run frame, and an additional run scored on a steal-and-throw sequence to extend the lead to 9-5. WLC added two more insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI single by sophomore
Molly Kelly (Hortonville, Wis.) and a sacrifice fly from junior
Sommer Krull (New London, Wis.).
Wheeler led Wisconsin Lutheran offensively, going 2-for-5 with a homerun and two RBIs. Kelly finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Gaston drove in three runs with her pinch-hit homer. Krull added two hits and two RBIs, and Alloy and Heller chipped in two hits. Piven earned her fourth win of the season in relief, allowing one run on two hits over three innings while striking out four.
For Rockford, Hill went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Liz Mois finished 2-for-4 with a homerun and an RBI.
The Warriors wrap up their four-game weekend on the road tomorrow with a 12 p.m. NACC doubleheader at Lakeland (11-10-1, 3-3 NACC). Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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