The University of
Wisconsin-Platteville softball team split its two games on Saturday
in the first day of the Coe Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The
Pioneers dropped a 1-0 loss to the No. 2 Kohawks to start the day
and followed that up with an 8-1 win over Ripon College.
In the 1-0 win by Coe, pitcher
Ashlee Simon pitched a no-hitter and struck out 12 Pioneers to lead
the second-ranked team to the win. Despite the loss, UW-Platteville
starter Jeni Freiburger was impressive as well. The sophomore gave
up just three hits, struck out two and an earned run as the
tough-luck loser.
In the first, a RBI double by Abby
Flanagan drove in Anna Corkery, who had stole second after a walk
was the only run in the game. The Pioneers mounted a threat when
Molly Rice reached base on an error. However, the Kohawks erased
the threat when they threw out a Pioneer pinch runner.
After a silent offensive attack in
the first game, the Pioneer offense erupted for a season-high eight
runs en route to an 8-1 win over Ripon.
In the win, Ashlen Folkers went
3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI including a solo home run in the
fifth inning that put UW-Platteville ahead 3-1. Also going 3-for-4
was Kayla Gosdeck, who also scored a run for the Pioneers.
After an early 1-0 deficit,
UW-Platteville tied it in the third. To start the inning, Gosdeck
singled up the middle. After being sacrificed over to second, she
came in to score on a single to gap in right center by Folkers.
The Pioneers went ahead in the
fourth and for the rest of the game on a RBI single by Colleen
Lowe. They stretched the lead to 3-1 when Folkers went deep to
start the fifth inning to greet relief pitcher Mallary Nissen. With
a two-run lead, UW-Platteville blew the game wide open with a
five-run seventh inning, three of which came around to score on the
second homerun of the season by Ellyn Goerdt just over the
center-field wall. Pioneer starting pitcher Melissa Anderson went
the distance and raised her record to 4-1 with a four-strikeout
performance.
UW-Platteville will wrap up its
participation at the Coe Tournament with rematches against the same
two teams on Sunday. The Pioneers will face Ripon at 1 p.m. and Coe
at 3 p.m.