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Western Illinois University Athletics

Stulga 2015
7
Winner Miami (Ohio) MIAMI 6-2
0
Western Illinois WIU 2-3
Winner
Miami (Ohio) MIAMI
6-2
7
Final
0
Western Illinois WIU
2-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Miami (Ohio) MIAMI 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 7 8 1
Western Illinois WIU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4

W: LOGEMANN, Amber (4-1) L: Kirkpatrick, Kayla (1-2)

2
Columbia COL 2-4
3
Winner Western Illinois WIU 3-3
Columbia COL
2-4
2
Final
3
Western Illinois WIU
3-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Columbia COL 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 4 1
Western Illinois WIU 1 0 0 0 2 0 X 3 7 1

W: Stulga, Brooke (1-0) L: Tessa Kroll (0-2) S: Hart, Kacyee (1)

Game Recap: Softball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Stulga Earns Her First Career Win as Leathernecks Split

Western Illinois fell to Miami but bounced back with a win over Columbia.


BAY LAKE, Fla. – Western Illinois earned a split on the first day of action at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic. Follow a tough 7-0 loss to Miami (Ohio), Western ended the day with a 3-2 win against Columbia.

"We made some great adjustments from the first game to the second game," said head coach Holly Van Vlymen. "We had a rough trip getting out here, so I think they were a little out of it. We really turned it around in the second game. All around though, I think our pitching performances were on point. Our first game, we didn't give up any extra base hits. The second game, Brooke started off a little shaky with a couple walks and then after that she made some adjustments, came right back and pitched a great game."

GAME ONE: Western Illinois 0, Miami (Ohio) 7
Kayla Kirkpatrick retired the first nine batters she faced before allowing a leadoff single in the fourth. The RedHawks would later take a 1-0 lead in the fourth, but Kirkpatrick would keep the deficit at one.

Kelsey Marlow and Sammy Marshall collected Western's only two hits through the first three innings, and both were left on the bases as the inning came to a close.

The game broke open in the fifth, when Miami plated six runs, on six hits and three errors. The Leathernecks put runners on first and second in the bottom half of the inning, but Western could not bring them around.

Kirkpatrick was tagged with the loss, moving her to 1-2 on the year. The senior went 4.2 innings, allowing three earned on eight hits. Kacyee Hart worked the final 2.1 innings, striking out three.

"Kayla started off strong and her pitches were moving," Van Vlymen said. "Things kind of fell apart one inning and as a pitcher you try to put everyone on your back and that's hard. Kacyee came in and shut them down the way we knew she would"

GAME TWO: Western Illinois 3, Columbia 2
The Leathernecks were in a jam early, as Brooke Stulga struggled with her command. Making her second career start, Stulga forced back-to-back groundballs to limit the damage in the first. In the bottom half, Marshall led off with a single before stealing second. After a passed ball moved her to third, Teagan Walsh drove her in.

Western worked out of another jam in the fifth, but Columbia did score one on a sac fly to right. The Leathernecks once again responded. Teagan Walsh reached on a fielder's choice to set the table for Kelsey Marlow. The freshman took the first pitch to right, bringing Walsh in from first with her first career triple. One pitch later, Marlow score on a wild pitch to give Western a 3-2 lead after five innings of play.


Hart came on to close the game out with a runner at first and nobody out. After walking the first batter, a sac bunt and a pop out, Hart recorded a strike out for a 3-2 victory.

"It was nice to come away with another one-run game where we were able to get that lead and hang on to it. I was really proud of our batters the way they they started to put things together. That's what this part of the season is for, to get better. We're going to continue to get better as the weekend goes along," Van Vlymen said.

The Leathernecks will face UAB (2:30 p.m.) and Northern Iowa (4:45 p.m.) as the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic continues on Saturday (Feb. 28).
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