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| Nikki Hansen in action vs. UWSP |
UW-Stevens Point beat UW-Platteville in two decidedly different softball games Monday.
The visiting Pointers won a 1-0 pitching duel in the opener and a 13-10 slugfest in the nightcap at the UWP Softball Complex.
The 18th-ranked Pointers improved to 26-6 overall and 11-3 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Pioneers slipped to 8-20, 1-9.
UWSP's Stephanie Anderson and UWP's Maggie Medlicott engaged in a great pitching battle in the first contest. The only run came in the fourth when Jackie Berger and Laura Van Abel singled and Berger eventually scored from third on a two-out error. Berger also prevented the tying run by throwing out Becky Swanson at the plate after Swanson tried to score from second on Patty Meoska's single.
Anderson tossed a three-hitter while Medlicott took a hard-luck loss after yielding just six hits.
Both pitchers returned in the nightcaps to provide relief in the scoring battle as the offenses heated up.
The Pointers jumped out to an 8-0 lead, scoring six times on wild pitches. The Pioneers answered with six singles and seven runs in the third, with Swanson and Meoska each driving in two runs.
Three different UWSP players batted in runs in the fourth, giving the visitors an 11-7 lead. Meoska homered in the fifth, and Swanson had another RBI in the sixth, but the Pioneers could not complete the comeback.
Meoska, Swanson, Nikki Hansen and Kiersten Henn each had two hits in the UWP 10-hit attack, while Anderson and Sarah Phillips each had three of the Pointers' 14 hits. Anderson improved to 15-3 with the win, while Addy Hart took the loss.
The Pioneers play host to UW-La Crosse Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Fox Sports Net Game of the Week.