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WINONA, Minn. — If there was one sure thing about the Saint Mary’s University fastpitch softball team’s nonconference doubleheader against UW-River Falls, it was that no lead was a sure thing.
The Falcons raced out to a seven-run lead in the opener, and had to hold on for dear life, as SMU pulled to within two — and left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning — in falling to UW-River Falls 7-5.
And in the nightcap, UW-RF again raced out to a huge lead, this time a 7-1, second-inning cushion, only to have SMU score nine unanswered runs and take a two-run, 10-8 lead into the top of the seventh — where Mindy Rudiger belted a three-run home run over the center field fence to complete the Falcons’ sweep, 11-10.
“It was a tough day,” understated SMU coach Jen Miller, whose team fell to 18-20 overall heading into Wednesday’s final doubleheader of the season, a nonconference twinbill at UW-La Crosse. “I was really proud of the way the ladies battled back in both games — we had our chance to take the lead (in the sixth inning of the opener) and couldn’t get the job done, and we worked so hard to get the lead (in the second game), and couldn’t hold it.
“It was just a tough way for us to close out our home season.”
The Falcons scored a single run in their first at-bat in the opener, before padding that lead to 7-0 in the fourth, banging out eight hits and scoring six runs off SMU starter
Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.).
SMU began its comeback in the fourth, scoring two runs on an RBI double by
Jessica Sharpe (Ottawa, Ill.) and a run-scoring single by
Joanna Mangan (Chicago, Ill.), then made it a 7-5 game with three runs in the fifth — highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of
Danielle Geske (Rosemount, Minn.).
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the sixth with two outs, but the Falcons’ Rose Tusa got Betzold to strike out swinging to end the threat.
In Game 2, the Falcons were again out of the gates early, plating five runs in the top fo the first inning, while adding two more in the top of the second. SMU responded with a single run in the first, four in the second and five in the third to take a 10-7 advantage. UW-River Falls got one run back in the fifth, before completing the improbable come-from-behind win in the seventh.
Jaci Prondzinski (Ettrick, Wis.), who came on in relief of starter
Madeline Salmon (Woodbury, Minn.) with two out in the first, walked the first batter she faced in the seventh, and, after getting Patty Olson to pop out to second, walked Jessica Lundgren. Miller went to Betzold, but the sophomore left-hander didn’t have any more luck than the other two SMU hurlers against Rudiger, as the UW-RF senior completed a perfect 5-for-5, 5-RBI effort with her team-leading 11th home run of the season.
“I don’t know what to say. This was one of those days that you just feel so bad for everyone — they poured their hearts out out there and it just wasn’t enough,” said Miller, who watched seniors Geske and
Cassie Otte (Randolph, Minn.) — who had four hits on the afternoon — play their final home games in a Cardinal uniform. “It’s too bad we couldn’t send Cassie and Bood out with two wins, but it certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying.
“It turned out to be two very exciting games — unfortunately, we ended up on the wrong end of both of them.”