The University of Wisconsin-Superior softball team finished its spring trip to Florida by winning six of its last seven games, including a pair of victories to close out the trip.
The Yellowjackets (13-5) start Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday with a doubleheader at UW-Whitewater. UWS then plays another pair of games on the road Sunday at UW-Oshkosh.
On Saturday, UWS opened its final day of play in Florida with a 10-6 victory over Tufts University and then defeated Cornell College 5-1.
Tufts jumped out to an early lead in the morning game, scoring three times in the first inning before UWS came back with four runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead. Setting up the rally were three Superior High School graduates. Britnee Blake and Ashley Martin both singled to lead off, and Kally Kucharyski then walked to load the bases with no outs. Following an out, Lindsay Garay, a Northwestern High School grad, hit a bases-clearing double to tie the game. Garay then came around to score on an RBI-groundout by another former Spartan -- Emily Eisenmann -- to make it 4-3.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, UWS added four more runs to take an 8-3 lead.
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Krisa Gary singled and eventually scored on a triple by Martin, and Martin then scored on a single by Kucharyski to make it 6-3. Garay followed with a walk, and she and Kucharyski both scored when Eisnemann came through with a double.
Tufts made up one run in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth but would get no closer at the Yellowjackets held on for a 10-6 victory.
Kucharyski picked up the win on the mound for UWS, allowing six runs and 13 hits in seven innings while striking out two and walking three.
Martin led the Yellowjackets at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and three RBIs. Eisenmann and Garay also had three RBIs, and UWS finished the game with 12 hits.
In the UW-Superior's second game Saturday, the Yellowjackets benefited from an early lead over Cornell College.
Blake put UWS on the board in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI single to score Kayla Blom. The team then added three more runs in the fifth inning to go up 4-0.
Martin led off the fifth inning with a walk and then stole second. Kucharyski singled to put runners on first and second, and Taylor VanDamme moved up both runners with a sacrafice fly. Garay then came through in the clutch again with a two-RBI double to make it 3-0, and Eisenmann finished up the scoring with a single to score Alayna Moe, who pinch ran for Garay.
UWS and Cornell College both scored one run apiece in the sixth inning for the final score of 5-1.
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Garay got the pitching for the Yellowjackets, walking three and striking out two over seven innings. Kucharyski and VanDamme were both 2-for-4 to lead UWS on offense.
