Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW ULM, Minn. – After a winning streak that spanned five games, the Northwestern College softball team hit a road bump Friday afternoon, splitting its two contests at the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Crossover Tournament. The Eagles took the first contest over Crown College 7-1 before dropping the second matchup 6-5 versus Martin Luther.

In its third matchup of the week versus Crown, NWC was held scoreless until the bottom of the third, as Briana Rodgers (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) and Megan VanHulzen (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center) each grabbed singles for their team. Next up was Lauren Young (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) who forced an error that allowed Rodgers to reach home. Erin Kleinjan (Avon, Minn./Holdingford) would end the push for scores, picking up credit for a run batted in (RBI) and leaving the score at 2-0.

The next big rally for the home team on the scoreboard came in the fifth with Rodgers kicking the inning off with a single to left field. VanHulzen continued the trend, while Young once again got on base due to a defensive error, scoring Rodgers. Kleinjan would once again pick up a RBI in the remainder of the inning, while Young also made it across home plate, extending the lead to 5-0.

The final push for Northwestern came in the sixth, with Young nailing a homer to left center and notching credit for two runs that would leave the final score at 7-1. The home run was Young's fourth of the season. Molly Johnsen (Floodwood, Minn./Floodwood) her successful performance on the mound with 16 strikeouts credited to her name.

In the second round of action the Eagles faced the same Martin Luther team they split with on April 19, and was unable to get much offensive momentum rolling until the top of the third inning. Kleinjan once again got on base thanks to a single and was pushed around the bases by her teammates to tie the Knights' previously established 1-0 score. The next run of the inning came on a Krisin Sigurdsen sacrifice pop fly to second base which provided enough time for Stoltman to join her teammates in the dugout after crossing home plate.

Unfortunately for the Purple and Gold, Martin Luther also posted a big third inning with three runs scored of their own, leaving the game at 4-2. Ali Witthus (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) would allow one more run to be scored thanks to her single in the fourth, while a full inning later Sigurdsen would once again score Stoltman for NWC's final run of the game. Martin Luther kept up the steady scoring pace and ended the contest at 6-5.

Johnsen and Anna Schurch (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) split the pitching duties in the capstone of the Eagles' day, while a different Snelling Avenue player picked up a RBI for each of the five runs scored.

Northwestern (17-17 overall, 12-7 UMAC) will now cap off its conference season on Saturday as it continues in day two of the Crossover held in New Ulm. The squad will take on the University of Minnesota Morris at 10 a.m. followed by a matchup with Bethany Lutheran at 12 noon.