April 1, 2023 – Loras College's softball team finally got its chance to play at home at Faber-Clark Field on Saturday afternoon, but the University of Wisconsin-Platteville spoiled opening day by taking both games from the Duhawks.

The Duhawks (10-7) rallied late in game one to force extra-innings but fell 5-1 in eight innings to the Pioneers (13-5) before suffering a 7-3 loss in game two.

UWP 5, Loras 1 (F/8)
Pitchers dominated most of game one as Loras sophomore Ashlyn Hemm and Platteville's Claire Bakkestuen went to battle. The duo kept the game scoreless through three innings before the Pioneers began keying on Hemm in the fourth.

In the frame, the Pioneers hit four balls on the screws to left field. Two of them landed safely for doubles, the second producing an RBI for Alex Davis that put the Pioneers ahead 1-0. That lone run was the only run of the game until the Duhawks went into now-or-never mode in the seventh.

Sophomore Emily Monahan's single to right centerfield got things started for Loras before sophomore Clare Murphy's single to left put runners at the corners with two outs. Nine-hole hitter Morgan Machovec dug in next and grounded one to short, but the speedy sophomore beat the throw as Monahan scored the tying run.

Later in the frame, Loras had the bases loaded with senior Abby Jones at the plate, but a pop up to third ended the threat and sent the game into extra innings.

After a leadoff walk, Platteville's Melissa Dietz launched a towering two-run homer to center field to put the Pioneers up 3-1. Later, Kate Davis's two-RBI single extended the lead to 5-1 as the Pioneers darted out to a win in the first leg of the doubleheader.

UWP 7, Loras 3
That big eighth inning in game one carried over into game two as the Pioneers hung four runs on the board in the top of the first inning against Duhawk freshman Rachel Peat. The Pioneers tallied five hits in the inning and sent nine hitters to the plate to take a commanding early lead.

The Pioneers didn't let up as they added three more in the second inning to lead 7-0. Reliever Shandi Rulli came on for the final out of the inning and seemed to be just what Loras needed to tame the Pioneer bats.

Rulli pitched the final 5.1 innings of relief and allowed just two hits and no runs to try and keep her Duhawks in the game. Despite her efforts, Loras couldn't get on the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth when a two-out, two-RBI single from senior Grace Houghton cut the lead down to 7-2.

Loras tallied one more in the seventh when sophomore Payton Meier lead off the frame with a double and eventually scored on an RBI groundout from sophomore Whitney Leipold. The Pioneers happily traded that out for a run as they held on to earn starter Taylor Roughen her seventh win of the year after holding the Duhawks to eight hits and three earned runs.

Loras will be on the road on Thursday, April 6 when it travels to Davenport, Iowa for a doubleheader with NAIA opponent Saint Ambrose University.