Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Wisconsin-La Crosse handed Augustana a pair of defeats Thursday in a softball doubleheader at Carver Field. The Eagles downed the Vikings 5-2 and 10-2 to improve to 13-9 on the year. Coach Kris Kistler's club fell to 14-6. The games were originally to be played as part of the Augustana Invitational, but were rescheduled due to heavy snow on March 24. The Vikings host Elmhurst in a CCIW twin bill on Saturday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m.
 
UW-LA CROSSE 5, AUGUSTANA 2
 
UWL got on the board first, touching freshman starter Cecelia Peine (Holt HS, Wentzville, Mo.) for a run in the top of the second. Grace Mindrup had a leadoff single and scored on Haley Radewan's sacrifice fly. Peine escaped further damage by leaving the bases full of Eagles.
 
Augustana answered with a run in the bottom half. Senior Shelby Grandt (Broomfield HS, Broomfield, Colo.) led off with a double down the left field line and scored on Marissa Catalano's (Lake Park HS, Medinah, Ill.) squeeze bunt.
 
Mindrup's two-run homer to center in the third inning gave La Crosse the lead for good, although the Vikings cut the deficit to 3-2 on a solo homer by freshman Molly Wrenn (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) in the sixth.
 
After her teammates gave her two insurance runs in the top of the seventh, Eagle reliever Katie Klein retired the hosts in the bottom half to earn her second save. She had come on to start the fifth, replacing starter Caitlyn Hughes, who got the win to improve to 5-5 on the season.
 
Peine went 2 1/3 innings and took the loss, falling to 3-3 on the year. Freshman Hope Moos (Lincoln HS, Hartsburg, Ill.) threw 3 2/3 hitless innings of relief before classmate Alivia Ranieri (Riverside-Brookfield HS, North Riverside, Ill.) came on to pitch the seventh.
 
Mindrup led UWL offensively, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in.
 
UW-LA CROSSE 10, AUGUSTANA 2
 
 The Eagles exploded for all 10 runs in the final four innings in the nightcap to win going away.
 
The game was scoreless for 2½ innings, but junior Kelsey Heiland (Mountain Vista HS., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) led off the bottom of the third with a home run off La Crosse starter Maddie Muelken. Sophomore Amanda Ray (Downers Grove South HS, Downers Grove, Ill.) reached on an error and scored on a double by classmate Dina Falk (Lake Park HS, Bloomingdale, Ill.) to give Augustana a 2-0 lead after three.
 
A Mindrup leadoff single led to an Eagle run in the fourth, but freshman starter Alivia Phelps (Coal City HS, Mazon, Ill.) stranded two runners to preserve a 2-1 lead.
 
The Vikings left runners at second and third in bottom of the fourth and UWL took advantage in the top of the fifth. After issuing a leadoff walk, Phelps exited in favor of Moos. Brittany Baldwin reached on a single and Mia Schmidtke blasted a three-run homer. La Crosse added another run in the frame and led 5-2 after 4½.
 
The Eagles added three more in the sixth and Schmidke added a two-run homer in the seventh to account for the final.
 
Moos suffered her first loss in four decisions this year. Sydne Shattuck, who relieved Muelken in the fourth, earned her first win against two losses.
 
Falk finished 3-for-4 and Heiland 2-for-3 to pace the Augustana offense. Schmidtke was 2-for-5 with three runs scored and five knocked in for UWL. Sarah Stewart added three of La Crosse's 14 hits.