Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MINNEAPOLIS – The Northwestern College women's softball team hit road bump in day two of the Augsburg College Augie Dome Tournament Saturday, falling to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in both games of a doubleheader, 1-4 and 0-11.

In the first matchup of the day, both squads remained scoreless until the third inning when UW-La Crosse first got on the board after a fielding error brought its runner home. In NWC's next round at the plate Morgan Pfaff (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) reached home after a Kelsey Stoltman (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) single compounded with the opposing team's error, tying the game at 1-1.

The score remained even until the high end of the fifth inning, which saw UW-La Crosse put up two tallies on two hits to take its second and final lead of the game. The Purple and Gold continued to battle offensively, but was unable to even the score, with the visitors on the scoreboard pushing its advantage to 5-1 before the last out had been called.

Following the first matchup, both the UW-La Crosse and Northwestern Eagles took the field for the concluding faceoff of the doubleheader. Unfortunately for NWC, the Eagles from Wisconsin kept the momentum rolling in the second matchup, ending the game in the same result as the first.

UW-La Crosse scored early and often, first getting home in the bottom of the first inning. The Minnesota squad was unable to return the offensive pressure and headed into the top of the second with a 0-1 deficit.

The next half-inning meant more scoring for UW-La Crosse, with an unearned run followed by a three-run homer pushed the advantage to 5-0. Another unearned score before the end of the inning saw UWL head into the top of the third with a 7-0 margin.

A full inning later the UW-La Crosse rally continued, as the team posted four runs off four hits, securing what would go on to be the final score, 11-0. Fast forward to the top of the fifth and Megan VanHulzen (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center) continued her successful weekend with a single up the middle, but it was too little, too late for Northwestern as the game ended after the fifth due to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eight-run rule.

After a weekend full of tough softball competition, the Northwestern (2-4 overall) squad will now look ahead to its annual spring training trip in Florida. The Eagles will first play against Thiel College on Friday, March 8, with a 9 a.m. Easter Standard Time (EST) first pitch.