Pride drop both ends of doubleheader to Viterbo

LA CROSSE, Wis. – With the Heart of America Conference games upcoming, the Clarke University softball team were unable to defeat the winless Viterbo University V-Hawks in 4-3 and 10-2 loses Thursday afternoon.

In game one, the teams traded runs in the third inning after a Malarie Huseman solo shot for the Pride and a Makayla Nortman sacrifice fly to right scored Courtney Denton for Viterbo's first run. After a 1-2-3 top of the fourth, VU put up a crooked number in their half scoring three runs on two hits, with the help of multiple free base runners. The rally started with a hit batter, followed by a single to right field, and then another hit batter loaded the bases.

This would be the beginning of the end for Pride starter Huseman, who coming into the game with just a 2.96 era for the season and leading the team with 44 strikeouts, struggled to find the strike zone. Huseman would walk the next two batters and was capped off with an RBI single by Sydney Haakenson to extend the V-Hawk lead to 4-1.

Starting her seventh game of the season for Viterbo, sophomore Maddie Wilkey would eventually pick up her first win of the season after going 4.2 innings only giving up one earned run on five hits and striking out one batter.

The Pride would battle back in the seventh inning to cut the lead down to just one run when Mya Durr and Ashley Roberts both scored on a Lily King "seeing eye single" to right field. After a throwing error put runners on second and third with one out, Elizabeth Everton hit what could've been the game-tying sacrifice fly to left, but Channing Manske threw a perfect strike to the catcher to tag out the runner for a game ending double-play.

Game two was similar in that both teams traded runs in the third inning as Maya Griegel singled and would later come around to score after a King bunt single and a throwing error on the catcher. A groundout advanced King to third and was brought home on an RBI single by junior Daija Bates.

After that, it was all V-Hawks as they would score 10 runs over the next four innings on 10 hits and took advantage of a couple Pride errors in their five run fourth inning.

Leading the Viterbo offensive attack in game two was shortstop Megan Jardine who went 3-4 with a homerun and 3 RBI's. Also hitting homers for Viterbo was catcher Morgan James and third baseman Grace Brewer.

Up next for Pride softball is a home opener doubleheader against Central Methodist on Saturday, March 25th with first pitch at 1 pm CST.