Softball 3/25/02 -- Wisconsin-River Falls 9, Augsburg 7 (8 inn.); St. Olaf 7, Augsburg 4

WISCONSIN-RIVER FALLS GAME BOXSCORE
ST. OLAF GAME BOXSCORE

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (3/25/02) -- Scoring six runs in the seventh inning, Wisconsin-River Falls rallied to claim a 9-7, eight-inning win over Augsburg College in the Auggies' first game, then Augsburg again gave up runs late to fall to St. Olaf College 7-4 in the second game Monday at the Rebel Games softball tournament at Osceola Stadium.

Augsburg lost its first two games of the season to fall to 2-2-1 overall. The game against fellow Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team St. Olaf was a nonconference game.

Augsburg held a 6-1 lead after six innings, but Wisconsin-River Falls scored six runs in the top of the seventh, sending 12 batters to the plate. Augsburg tied the game in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, but the Falcons scored twice in the eighth to claim the win.

Augsburg jumped out to a lead with five runs in the first two innings. Rachael Ekholm (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) hit a two-run home run in the first inning. Jennifer Lemke (Jr., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) singled to drive in Sam Kronschnabel (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS), and Becky Ruckel (Fr., Andover, Minn./Anoka HS) doubled to bring in Kristen Lideen (So., Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) and Lemke.

The Auggies added another run in the fifth, when Jennie LaManna (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) singled to drive in Ruckel, who had reached on her second double of the day.

River Falls scored its first run in the top of the sixth, when Meghann Mulligan singled to drive in Tiffany Blumer. In the seventh, the Falcons took advantage of five hits and three Augsburg errors to score six runs -- four unearned -- against Ekholm. Anna Poulter doubled to drive in two runs, three more runs came across on fielding errors, and Emily Evans singled to drive in a run.

The Auggies tied the game in the seventh, when Melissa Lee (So., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) hit a two-out single to drive in pinch-runner Melynda Kleewein (Fr., Anchorage, Alaska/Dimond HS). But River Falls scored two runs in the top of the eighth, with the international tiebreaker (putting a runner on second base to start the inning). Blumer reached base on an error, advancing the runner to third, and she was driven across on a sacrifice fly by Poulter. Abby Keane singled to drive in another run. Augsburg went down in order in the bottom of the eighth.

Ekholm struck out four in a complete-game effort for Augsburg, whiel Amy Brooke struck out seven in six innings of work for River Falls. Leah Vanderploeg picked up the win, pitching two innings of relief. Ekholm, Lideen, Ruckel and Kronschnabel each had two hits for the Auggies, with Ekholm and Ruckel adding two RBI. Poulter had two hits for the Falcons.

Augsburg fell behind in the St. Olaf contest 4-3 after four innings, but tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth. But the Oles added three runs in the bottom of the sixth to claim the victory.

The Auggies opened the scoring in the first, when Christine Matthews (Fr., Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS) singled to drive in Lideen. The Auggies added to runs in the fourth, when Lideen singled to drive in Lemke, and Ruckel reached base on a fielder's choice, bringing across Laura Simones (So., Minneapolis, Minn./Trinity at River Ridge HS).

St. Olaf scored twice in the third, as two unearned runs -- Lindsay Bonine and Laurie Thomas -- came across on a fielding error. Two more runs came across in the fourth for the Oles, when Teresa Herbers brought across Meghan Urbanski on a groundout, and Meredith Larsen scored on a wild pitch.

Augsburg tied the game in the top of the sixth, as Ekholm singled to drive in Kleewein. But St. Olaf scored three runs in the bottom of the inning, as Urbanski and Andrea Smith walked, and Herbers singled, with all three Oles scoring on a fielding error.

Grete Christenson struck out three while walking six to claim the complete-game pitching win for the Oles. Mindy Evers (Sr., Comfrey, Minn.) pitched the first three innings for the Auggies, striking out two, while Becky Peters (So., Portage, Wis.) pitched the last three innings.

Augsburg returns to action in the Rebel Games on Tuesday (3/26), facing Clarke (Iowa) at 12:30 p.m. and Eastern Connecticut at 4:10 p.m.

Wisconsin-River Falls 9, Augsburg 7 (8 inn.)
Wis.-River Falls -- 000 001 62 - 9-9-2
Augsburg -- 230 010 10 -- 7-11-5
Brooke, Vanderploeg (7) and Becker; Ekholm and Lemke. WP-Vanderploeg, LP-Ekholm. HR-Ekholm (1).

St. Olaf 7, Augsburg 4
Augsburg -- 100 201 0 -- 4-8-4
St. Olaf -- 002 203 x -- 7-4-1
Evers, Peters (4) and Lemke; Christenson and Frederick. WP-Christenson, LP-Peters.