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| Dru Schneider tries to apply the tag |
Late-inning home runs spelled defeat for UW-Platteville twice Monday, as UW-La Crosse edged the host Pioneers 3-2 and 4-3.
Platteville native Liz Bradley hit a ninth-inning home run to break the tie in the opener, while Sarah Pfeifer hit a two-run shot in the seventh of the second game, as the Eagles overcame a 3-2 Pioneer lead.
The Eagles (12-22 overall, 4-12 in WIAC) moved up to seventh place in the final Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings and will open conference tournament play vs. second-place UW-Stevens Point. The Pioneers (8-26, 1-15) will face eighth-place UW-Stout in the play-in game Friday at 9 a.m. at UW-Eau Claire.
The day started fine for the Pioneers as Tera Burr belted her sixth home run of the year on the first pitch in the bottom of the first. The 1-0 lead stood until the sixth, as UWP pitcher Maggie Medlicott retired 12 in a row, and Eagle pitcher Shelly Monahon got 14 straight outs. UWL's Jenny Miller doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error, knotting the score at 1-1. The Eagle defense kept it that way in the bottom of the seventh, throwing out two runners at the plate. Both teams had two-out RBI singles in the eighth, and then Bradley hit the decisive home run in the ninth. Medlicott yielded seven hits and just one earned run through nine innings, while Monahan tossed a five-hitter.
In the nightcap, the Pioneers scored twice in the fourth on four hits, breaking a 1-1 tie. Patty Meoska and Burr each had RBI singles, giving the Pioneers a 3-1 lead. The Eagles scored a single run in the sixth, then went ahead for good on Pfeifer's home run. The opener was taped by When We Were Young Productions and will be replayed on Fox Sports Net Wisconsin at a time to be announced.