WAVERLY, Iowa - The University of Dubuque softball team would split on Sunday afternoon to #22-ranked Wartburg College Knights. UD lost the opener 5-14 in five innings, but responded by taking game two 9-8 to earn a split.
UD allowed the Knights to put 10 runs on the board in the bottom of the second and it was too much to rally from the deep deficit. The Spartans scored five runs in seven hits and committed three errors, the Knights scored 14 runs in 13 hits with two errors.
Dariann Diorio went 2-3 with an RBI and
Lauren Brown went 2-3 with an RBI. Brown and
Cayla Cavanagh would both send a ball over the fence in the fourth inning for solo homeruns.
Game two, UD scored nine runs off 12 hits with one error while the Knights finished with eight runs off 11 hits and committed three errors.
Megan Wolff earned the win after tossing 6.2 innings and striking out four. The two teams played homerun ball with UD ending game two with five and the host Knights with three.
Callie Dutton homered in the second with a runner on for two RBI's.
Cayla Cavanagh solo homered in the third for an RBI. Deanna Origer solo homered in the sixth for an RBI followed by Emily Bloomer who's next at bat would also earn a solo homer and an RBI. The next at bat was a fly out for the Spartans before their third homerun of the inning would happen with Lauren Brown stretching the lead to 9-4. The Knights would add a run in the bottom of the sixth before making things interesting in the seventh.
UD allowed a leadoff walk. A double put runners on the corners. A ground out and a fly out left two stranded on base before a three run RBI homerun made the game interesting. The Spartans gave up a single bunt and walked another batter to leave two on base. The next batter would ground out to the shortstop to end the game with the tying run and the winning run left on base.
The Spartans (13-3) will travel to face the Cornell College Rams on Wednesday, March 30 in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.
