V-Hawks Dominate Warriors in Double-Header, Reaching New Heights

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- The V-Hawks softball team took to the field on Wednesday afternoon to compete in a double-header against the Waldorf Warriors. Throughout the competitions, the V-Hawks came away with two massive victories. In the first game, the V-Hawks won 18-3 in five innings, and in the second game they improved to a 21-4 victory in five innings. Following the game, the seniors were recognized for their service to the V-Hawk softball team. With the wins, the V-Hawks improve to 8-21 on the season and extend their winning streak to four straight games. 

GAME ONE (VU 18, WALDORF 3)

In the first competition of the day, Waldorf struck first, scoring their first run in the top of the first inning. The V-Hawks responded massively, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first. The first run came on an Ava Anderson homer, followed by a Sydnie Newell single that ran in Elie Klar. Makella Jacobs picked up a single to run in Sydnie Newell and Alexis Watson brought in Marissa Carter-Olson. The final run of the first inning came as Natalie Martin ran in Alexis Watson. In the second inning, Waldorf attempted to fight back, scoring two runs to bring the score to 5-3 in favor of the V-Hawks. The V-Hawks picked up two more runs in the second inning when Marissa Carter-Olson ran in Rylee Koeller and Elie Klar. 

The V-Hawks held off the Warriors in the top of the third, responding with some hot bats in the bottom of the third. Ava Anderson stepped up to the plate, ahead 7-3, and she bombed one to center field, collecting her second home run of the day on a three-run homer. Sydnie Newell doubled to bring in Elie Klar for their next run, and Marissa Carter-Olson collected another RBI when she brought in Sydnie Newell. Again, the V-Hawks silenced any Warrior scoring in the fourth, and in the bottom of the inning, they teed off for six more runs. Scoring started when Alyssa Roos picked up two RBIs, running in Courtney Denton and Kate Olsen. Sydnie Newell had an impressive triple that ran in Alyssa Roos and Ava Anderson. Marissa Carter-Olson had another RBI to bring in Sydnie Newell, and the final run of the day came on an Alexis Watson single that ran in Aydenn Sutton. 

From the plate, the V-Hawks impressed all around. Marissa Carter-Olson, Sydnie Newell, and Elie Klar each had three hits, while Ava Anderson, Sydnie Newell, and Marissa Carter-Olson each contributed four RBIs. Other hits on the day came from Alyssa Roos, Makella Jacobs, Alexis Watson, Natalie Martin, and Courtney Denton to finish the game with 19 hits from the team, batting at a 0.679 as a team on the game. 

In the circle, Alexis Watson pitched a full game, only allowing three runs and seven hits through five innings. Watson faced 24 batters, throwing 98 pitches. Of her 98 pitches, Watson threw 53 of them as strikes. 

GAME TWO (VU 21, WALDORF 4)

In the second game, neither the V-Hawks nor the Warriors scored in the first inning, deceivingly leading the teams to believe it would be a closer game than the previous. In the top of the second, Waldorf scored their first run to take the lead at 1-0. The V-Hawks went on to have one of their most impressive innings ever. The team scored 12 runs in the bottom of the second inning. 

• The first run of the second inning came when Grace Elton was walked, advancing Marissa Carter-Olson to home plate
• The second run came when Ava Anderson singled to run in Natalie Martin
• The third run happened on a Makayla Nortman single that ran in Courtney Denton
• The fourth run came as Rylee Koeller was walked, advancing Grace Elton to home plate
• The fifth and sixth runs came on an Elie Klar double that ran in Makayla Nortman and Ava Anderson
• The seventh run was earned when Marissa Carter-Olson singled to bring in Rylee Koeller
• The eighth run came on a Natalie Martin single that ran in Elie Klar
• The ninth run happened on a walk that advanced Marissa Carter-Olson to home plate
• The tenth run came on Ava Anderson being walked, bringing in Natalie Martin
• The eleventh and twelfth runs came when Makayla Nortman doubled to run in Grace Elton and Alexis Watson

And at that point, the V-Hawks were up 12-1 through two innings. In the third, Waldorf responded, cranking a two-run home run over the fence. The V-Hawks responded yet again with another high-scoring inning. In the third, Natalie Martin kicked things off to run in Elie Klar on a double. Alexis Watson picked up two RBIs as Natalie Martin and Aydenn Sutton made their way home. Courtney Denton singled to bring in Alexis Watson followed by an Autumn Meris double that brought in Courtney Denton. The final scoring of the third inning came on an Alyssa Roos RBI that brought in Autumn Meris. 

In the fourth inning, Waldorf scored yet again on a single that ran in one runner. The V-Hawks decided to score a couple more runs, though already up 18-4 going into the fourth. Autumn Meris sent a fly out to center field that ran in Marissa Carter-Olson. The game was capped off by senior Makayla Nortman's double that ran in Alexis Watson and Kate Olsen, completing the massive 21-4 run victory. The 21 runs scored by the V-Hawks are the most in a game since they scored 22 runs on April 16, 2007 against North Central University. 

At the plate, the V-Hawks were led by Marissa Carter-Olson and Makayla Nortman. Both women had three hits, and Makayla Nortman had five RBIs. Other hits came from Ava Anderson, Alyssa Roos, Elie Klar, Natalie Martin, Kate Olsen, Alexis Watson, Courtney Denton, and Autumn Meris. The V-Hawks hit 0.642 as a team in the second game. 

In the circle, Makenzie Woodhouse pitched four innings for the V-Hawks, allowing four runs and nine hits. She faced 22 batters, throwing 89 pitches and 45 strikes. Mia Weithaus came in to close the game, pitching one inning, allowing no hits or runs in the top of the fifth. She faced four batters, throwing 16 pitches and six strikes. 

UP NEXT

The V-Hawks will return to competition next week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the team will compete against Calumet in Whiting, Indiana. On Friday and Saturday, they will travel to St. Francis to face off against the Fighting Saints.