VERONA, Wis. – Playing in their first non-conference action since the Tucson Invitational Games in mid-March, the Edgewood College Eagles (9-21) allowed Loras College (16-14) to manufacture runs late in each game of a doubleheader to drop their third-straight contest.
An RBI single from Jackie Diesch tied things at one run apiece in the fourth during game one, but Loras managed at least one run in each of the final three innings to ultimately come out on top 5-1. Eagles starting pitcher Shannon Whitmus allowed a run in the first but settled in and eventually pitched 3.2 innings of six-hit ball.
Karlie Klossner entered in the fourth but was tagged with the loss after allowing the Duhawks to score one in the fifth, two in the sixth and another in the final inning. She allowed five hits while only two of her four runs allowed were earned. Diesch, Rachel DeJongh and Katie Landon led the Eagles at the plate with two hits apiece.
Things went down to the wire in game two, as DeJongh and Makaila Haase duked it out in the circle in a game dominated by small ball. Loras again scored in the top of the first and it wasn't until the fourth inning when the Eagles evened it up. After an infield single, a walk and a sac bunt to lead off the inning, Sabrina Maicke put one through the middle for an RBI single that nearly scored two, but Alexis Unser got caught in a rundown after rounding third on the play.
DeJongh got the first two batters out in the top of the fifth, but an error allowed the Duhawks to put a baserunner on. Miranda Chapman then stole second before Katie Serpico ripped a single off the center field fence that scored Chapman.
With Megan Hauge on second in the next half inning, Alyssa Schulting singled up the middle. The Loras centerfielder tried throwing Hauge out at third, but her throw was off and found its way out of play to advance Hauge home to knot things at two runs apiece.
DeJongh got out of a jam in the sixth and the Eagles recorded two hits in the bottom half of the inning but the score remained tied at two heading into the final frame. The Duhawks' leadoff batter in the seventh reached on an error and was moved to second on a sac bunt one batter later. Serpico then pulled through again with an RBI single to right center.
The Eagles again threatened in their final inning at the plate after Dylan Bahrke walked with one out. After a strikeout, Unser reached on a fielding error by the Loras second baseman, but Holly Klein got out of the jam by inducing a groundout to end it for her first save of the year.
Maicke had two of Edgewood College's five hits in the nightcap and had the team's lone RBI. Clark, Kayla Updike and Schulting had the other hits for the Eagles. DeJongh fell to 5-9 on the year after allowing three runs—one earned—on six hits in seven innings of work.
The Eagles will return to action on Thursday, April 16 at Maranatha Baptist. The doubleheader will take place at Brandt Quirk Park in Watertown, Wis., and will begin at 4:00 pm.
