MIDDLETON, Wis. – A few phone calls and three fields later, the Edgewood College softball team finally found a place they could call home for the day. The Eagles traveled to the Middleton Firefighters Memorial Park where they ran into a pair of difficult hurlers as the Eagles could never ignite their bats and were swept 6-1 and 6-2 by visiting Benedictine University.

Rachel DeJongh started on the rubber for a pitching duel in game one. The two pitchers battled back and forth for three innings before DeJongh helped her cause with a single to bring in DeCoster and put Edgewood College up 1-0. The Eagles held that lead until the fifth when Benedictine rallied for three runs on four hits. A leadoff solo shot by Benedictine's Amanda Straka chased DeJongh, but Karlie Klossner came in to force three straight groundouts.

Hits were hard to come by for Edgewood College as the Eagles could only muster four base knocks all game. In the seventh, Benedictine added two more runs to take a 6-1 lead into the bottom half of the inning. Catcher Dylan Bahrke tried to start a rally after she ripped a hard grounder to third, but a questionable call sent her to the bench and Benedictine (19-11, 15-3 NAC) took game one.

For the first time this season, Edgewood College was forced to play under the lights as game two did not begin until 6:40 p.m. Benedictine jumped ahead early with two runs in the first and Edgewood College looked like they were in trouble, but Jackie Diesch lifted her first home run of the season over the left field fence to tie the ball game at 2-2. Charlie Leikness pitched a clean second but Benedictine took the lead in the third with a two-out double followed by a single. The runner left on the next pitch, but a bullet throw by Bahrke ended any chance of any more Benedictine runs.

In the fourth, Edgewood College forced two quick outs before Chelsea White ripped a home run to left. Head coach J.P. Richards came out to contest, pointing out that Benedictine batted out of order in the third so the batter should be out, but after a lengthy debate, the dinger stood. Edgewood College (8-19, 6-5 NAC) had an opportunity to respond with a run, but stranded a pair on the base paths.

Benedictine, already leading by a pair, began to rally again in the sixth. After loading the bases, Klossner appeared in relief again. The freshman sat down the first batter she faced, but the next singled in a pair. Klossner then forced the next batter to fly out to end the inning. Now trailing by four with their last chance, Edgewood College's DeCoster and DeJongh reached. Despite the promising start, the Eagles could not plate any runs and fell 6-2.

DeCoster, Diesch, and Jessica Spitzer each had a pair of hits on the day. Diesch brought in the only two runs of the second game with her home run. Taylor Buchanan came in to pinch hit in the fourth inning of game two and roped her first base hit of the season to left field for a single.

The Eagles will continue their weekend with another tough opponent as they face NAC leader Aurora University. The noon doubleheader will be played at Ceniti Park in Verona. Live coverage links can be found on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.