DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Loras College softball team droped its home opener to the Wartburg College Knights on Tuesday afternoon. The Duhawks fell in game one 7-3, before falling in game two, 6-2.
Game One: Loras 3, Wartburg College 7
Wartburg (19-3 Overall, 4-1) jumped ahead in the first inning with a quick three-run burst. Carley Bredar doubled, and after two strikeouts, Jenna Wiebenga reached on an error, allowing Bredar to score. Reagan Hassel then launched a two-run homer the very next pitch. Loras (17-6, 0-1) fought back with two runs in the bottom half as
Katherine Svigelj singled, and after
Ava Franklin and
Kaili Henning reached on errors,
Dana Skorich doubled to drive in both runners, closing the inning with Wartburg up 3-2.
The Knights added another run in the second inning when Stephanie Kiefer doubled and scored on a Bredar double, extending the lead to 4-2. The Duhawks couldn't respond in their half. In the fifth inning, Wiebenga hit a two-run homer, pushing Wartburg's lead to 6-2. Loras added a run in the sixth after
Gillian Jones singled and scored on an error that allowed Svigelj to reach first, narrowing the gap to 6-3. Wartburg sealed the win with a final run in the seventh. Rylie Metz, a pinch hitter, walked and eventually scored on a ground out by Katelyn Klever.
The Duhawks couldn't rally in the bottom of the seventh, finalizing the score at 7-3 in favor of Wartburg.
Game Two: Loras 2, Wartburg College 6
The Duhawks (17-7, 0-2) struck first in the opening inning of game two, thanks to Henning's solo shot, wrapping up the frame with a 1-0 lead. Wartburg (20-8, 5-1) answered back in the third inning with a three-run surge. Bella Mulder's double brought in Carley Bredar, Addy Wells scored on a passed ball, and Reagan Hassel's sacrifice fly added another run, putting Wartburg up 3-1. Loras chipped away in the bottom half when
Ellie Baker scored on a passed ball, closing the gap to 3-2.
In the fifth, the Knights pulled ahead with Wells' sacrifice fly, scoring Bredar and extending the lead to 4-2. Wartburg sealed the game in the sixth inning with two more runs with Reagan Hassel and Katelyn Klever capitalizing on a Loras error, widening the Knights' lead to 6-2. The Duhawks couldn't rally in the final innings, ending with Wartburg on top, 6-2.
Kiya Steger pitched a complete game for Loras, going seven innings and allowing six runs on seven hits. Steger struck out five, walked one.
Up Next: Loras will return to Faber-Clark Field on Friday, April 10, to take on Nebraska Wesleyan University. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2 PM.
