CLERMONT, Fla.- Having already won four games on their trip down south, the University of Northwestern Softball team saddled up for another doubleheader on Tuesday. Game one started in the late afternoon and the second game didn't conclude until the sun had set in the Sunshine State. The Eagles lost the opener 4-0 to Lake Forest and then Ripon rallied late to come from behind and top the Eagles 8-5 in the night cap.
Game One
Pitching was the story in the Eagles' first game of the day on Tuesday.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) was given the ball in the circle for the Eagles and it was clear right from the first pitch of the game that she was going to be locked in a pitchers' duel against Lake Forest.
UNW played as the visitors in the opener so they came up to the plate in the top half of the first inning.
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) became a two out baserunner when she was hit by a pitch but it would not amount to any runs as she stranded on first base.
Heffron stepped into the circle and gave up a single to the first batter she saw. However, the veteran Eagle pitcher bounced back as well as possible as she immediately induced a groundball that was hit right at
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Marian) at shortstop. Bentley flipped it to
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) at second base who fired it over to
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) at first base and Heffron had erased the leadoff single with a textbook 6-4-3 double play. Lake Forest picked up a two out single but Heffron forced another groundball to end the inning.
The Eagles went down 1-2-3 in the top half of the second and Heffron nearly did the same to Lake Forest in the home half of the frame. She fielded a weak comebacker to the mound and then picked up her first strikeout of the day before issuing a two out walk. She picked up the third out herself with another groundball back to her in the circle and the game was locked in a scoreless tie through two innings.
Both offenses continued to sputter in the third inning. The Foresters' starting pitcher picked up her second straight perfect inning and then Heffron followed that by setting them down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the third as well. Through three innings in Florida, both pitchers were throwing a gem and the game remained scoreless.
In the fourth inning, the Eagles' offense showed some life as
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) ripped a leadoff double to left field. Unfortunately for our favorite team, that life was short lived. On the next play Beer lifted a fly ball to centerfield that was caught and Terry was tagged out trying to tag up and advance to third base. The next batter was retired and the Eagles ultimately were set down in order once again.
In the home half of the fourth, the Foresters' offense also began to wake up from their early game slumber. The inning began with back-to-back hits to score the first run of the game. A triple to left field began the inning followed consecutively by an RBI single. However, Heffron immediately got back into her rhythm thanks in part to some help from her defense. The next batter hit a fly ball to right field which was chased down and caught by
Riley Summers (Fontana, Wis./Big Foot). She fired the ball in to Iverson at first base before the runner could retreat to force the double play. Heffron caught a line drive hit right back up the middle to end the inning with Lake Forest now leading 1-0.
The Eagles' offense would not produce another hit over the final three innings as they struggled to get base runners in the late innings. The only Eagle baserunner during that stretch was
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) who drew a one out walk in the seventh inning.
Meanwhile, Lake Forest attempted to extend their lead. Heffron continued to pitch well but the Foresters were able to take advantage of a pair of miscues (an error and a wild pitch) to score a pair of runs in the fifth inning.
Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) would pitch the sixth inning and would give up an unearned run due to another error by the Eagles' defense. UNW dropped the contest 4-0.
Game Two
UNW Softball fans who are a fan of offense and high scoring games were grinding their teeth during the Eagles' first contest of the day, but they got what they wanted in game two. Offense was the story early and often between the Eagles and the Ripon Red Hawks.
The Eagles were the home team this time around so they started the contest in the field.
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) was the Eagles' starting pitcher in this contest and a leadoff walk would come around to score to give Ripon a 1-0 lead after half an inning.
After getting shutout against Lake Forest, UNW's offense came out with a vengeance in game two.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) drew a leadoff walk and
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) came up next and laid down a bunt. Whether it was a sacrifice attempt or not, nobody except the Eagles and their coaching staff knows. Nonetheless, Terry used her speed to beat the throw to first and the Eagles had runners on first and second with nobody out.
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) then showcased her speed and picked up an infield single herself.
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo), the reigning UMAC Player of the Week, came up to the plate with the bases loaded. The Eagles' team leader in RBIs on the season was the exact right person to have at the plate with the bases loaded and she delivered. Her single to centerfield scored Lane and Terry and Beer advanced to third base.
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Marian) drew a walk to load the bases once again and the first five Eagle batters reached base to start the game. Ripon's pitcher would pick up a much needed strikeout for the first out and
Lindsey Dvorak (Richmond, Minn./ROCORI) came up and hit a sacrifice fly ball to right field which scored Beer. The bad news for the Eagles was that Bentley was tagged out trying to advance to second base. The good news for the Eagles: they led 3-1 after one inning of play.
Each pitcher took a deep breath after an eventful first inning and each pitched scoreless frames in the second. Strubbe ended her 1-2-3 second inning with her first strikeout of the game.
In the top half of the third, Ripon used a clutch base hit to cut Northwestern's lead in half. There were two runners on with two outs and a single to left field scored a Red Hawk run. Strubbe got the next batter out to preserve the Eagles' 3-2 lead.
Strubbe was able to find her groove in the middle innings, pitching back-to-back scoreless frames in the fourth and fifth. In the home half of the fifth, UNW extended their lead. Terry picked up another single, this time with one out.
Trista Oberle (Hudson, Wisc./Homeschool) entered the game as a pinch hitter and promptly singled to centerfield. Iverson was retired on a groundball, but it did allow Terry and Oberle to each move up a base. With runners on second and third, two outs, and clinging to a one run lead, UNW's Head Coach
Alicia du'Monceaux would trust her bench. She would bring in a pair of pinch hitters:
Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) and
Ally Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin). They each came through. Edwards and Ehnstrom each picked up RBI knocks and the Eagles led 5-2 entering the sixth inning.
Trailing by three runs and only two innings remaining, Ripon would not go away. Strubbe got the leadoff hitter to pop out to Gee at second base but then gave up a single. She then picked up a huge strikeout before a walk and a hit batter would load the bases with two outs. The Eagles would go to their bullpen in a big spot. One of the keys of the contest was each team picking up big, run scoring hits with two outs. Unfortunately for the Eagles, that theme continued here. A single to left field scored two runs.
Maddie Bottineau (Andover, Minn./Andover), UNW's new pitcher, would pick up a big fly ball out to end the inning and keep UNW narrowly in the lead: 5-4.
In the Eagles' half of the sixth,
Maggie Oehlerking (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) would pick up a leadoff single but she would not get any further than first base. The Eagles did not extend their lead and they entered the final frame leading by one. The first three Red Hawk batters would pick up hits to start the seventh inning on their way to a four run inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Beer would draw a leadoff walk but the Eagles would not score and lost the game 8-5.
Up Next
Time flies when you're having fun and it is hard to believe the Eagles' 2024 Florida trip is coming to a close. UNW will take the day off tomorrow and will close out their trip with a game against Beloit on Thursday, March 14
th.
