SOMERS, Wis. – Parkside softball capitalized on its unexpected home doubleheader on Friday afternoon, as the Rangers earned a split with No. 11 Indianapolis at Case Softball Complex. The Rangers, who were originally supposed to travel to Indianapolis for a doubleheader on Friday, won game one 4-3 but fell in a snowy and cold game two 5-4 after a late four-run bottom of the sixth inning for the Greyhounds.
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @UWPAthletics
With the split, the Rangers moved to 15-15 overall and 6-6 in the GLVC while winning five of their last eight games. The Greyhounds move to 26-6 overall and 10-2 in the conference after seeing their six-game winning streak snapped by the Rangers.
In game one, Parkside was outhit 10-4 but capitalized big time on Indy mistakes, as the Greyhounds starter was charged with just one earned run. Indy opened with a two-run first inning, but the Rangers answered right back with a three-run top of the second inning thanks to a
Madison Manders RBI single followed by a wild pitch that scored two runs, making it 3-2 Parkside.
The Greyhounds tied it up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth, but again Parkside responded, this time thanks to an error on the center fielder where she let a
Morgan Sikon single go right through her legs, scoring
Jessica Shields to put the Rangers on top. Indy had runners on second and third with just one out in the bottom of the seventh, but
Allison Hausl came in clutch with a strikeout and a popout to end the game.
Hausl pitched the complete game to earn the win, going 7.0 allowing just one earned run on 10 hits and four walks with four strikeouts. At the plate, four players each had a single while Shields finished 1-for-2 with a run and
Jessica Miklos went 1-for-2 with a run.
In game two,
Alyssa Hrncar pitched a nice game allowing just five hits with four strikeouts, but the Greyhounds scored four of their five runs thanks to the long ball, including a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning.
After Indy took an early 1-0 lead in the second, the Rangers responded in a huge way, scoring four runs in the top of the third inning. Hausl led off with a double and Shields was hit by a pitch, leading to a sacrifice bunt by
Kellie Fenza. After a
Megan Aliverti walk to load the bases,
Morgan Sikon delivered an RBI single to right field and Shields came in to score on an error on the next play. Miklos hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Sikon to end the inning.
Hrncar held Indy scoreless for four straight innings through the snow and cold, but Indy got to the freshman in the sixth all with two outs, including an incredible catch in left center field by
Danielle Crockett that very well could have been a home run. The Greyhounds went walk, RBI single, three-run home run to take the lead and come away with the win.
Sikon finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run while Hausl went 1-for-3 with a double and a run and Shields went 1-for-3 with a run. Crockett also added a double.
The Rangers jumped on a bus immediately after the game and will face Bellarmine on the road on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Louisville, Ky.
