ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team split its first UMAC doubleheader of the season, losing the opener to Crown College by a score of 5-3 before rallying for a 4-3 win in game two. The Cougars move to 7-13 (1-1 UMAC) on the season.

Minnesota Morris is back at it tomorrow afternoon in Mankato with a doubleheader at Bethany Lutheran College beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Game One: Crown 5, Minnesota Morris 3
Three errors in the space of two innings opened the door for Crown to score all five of its runs and hold on from there to get the win in the first game of the day. Adrianna Johnson was unlucky to take the loss and fall to 5-5 on the season, going 4.0 innings and allowing five unearned runs in the process. Autumn Theis threw the final 2.0 innings and allowed only a single hit to the Polars in relief.

Madi Hecox was the first batter in the bottom of the third for Crown and reached on an error before coming around to score. The inning continued in that manner and a passed ball and another error paved the way for two more runs, staking the Polars to a 3-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Mary Landherr doubled to lead off the inning for Minnesota Morris and Tori Nichols kept things going with a single. With one down, an Anna Athey double drove in both runners to slice the deficit to 3-2. Athey later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3.

The Polars were again beneficiaries of an error from the Cougar defense in the bottom of the fourth, a mistake that led to two runs scoring and putting Crown in front once again, 5-3. From there, Minnesota Morris went down in order in the fifth before threatening in the final two frames but coming up empty in each. 

Landherr and Nichols each went 2-for-4 as part of an eight-hit game from the Cougar offense.

Game Two: Minnesota Morris 4, Crown 3
Down 3-1 after five innings of play, Minnesota Morris leveled the game at 3-3 with a two-run sixth and then scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. 

Crown again took advantage of a Minnesota Morris error in the bottom of the first to plate two runs and grab control early on. The Cougars drew one run closer in the top of the fourth when Olivia Losee singled with two down and an error from the Polars kept the inning going for Brenna Mahoney to drive Losee home with a double. Crown reestablished a two-run lead in the bottom of the inning, however, when a passed ball brought a runner home to make it 3-1.

The game had another twist coming in the top of the sixth. Landherr and Nichols both reached to start the frame and a sac bunt from Losee put pinch-runners Johnson and Malena Mahoney in scoring position. The first run scored on a pop-up into foul territory and a single from Brenna Mahoney drove in her sister to knot the game at 3-3.

In the top of the seventh, Sierra Stevens reached on a one-out error and Nichols would single her home three batters later to give Minnesota Morris its first lead of the day at 4-3. Wilhelm sat the Polars down in order in the bottom of the seventh to finish things off.

Wilhelm earned her second straight victory, improving to 2-5 on the season and striking out five while giving up no earned runs. Brenna Mahoney was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs to pace the Cougar attack at the plate.