Somers, Wis. – The UW-Parkside softball team exploded for a season-high ten runs in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader for a lopsided 10-2, five-inning victory over Minnesota Duluth. It was the end of a long four-game set with the Bulldogs including two extra-inning games prior to Wednesday's doubleheader.
 
Lauren Vitiello went 3-for-4 with three-RBI while also earning the win in the circle. Ashley Nowdomski also had three hits while Cecie Portillo smashed her second home run.
 
Duluth won the first scheduled game on Wednesday, 2-0. They also came from behind to win the completion of Tuesday's suspended game, 4-3, in eight innings.
 
The Rangers will be back at home this weekend with a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheaders. UW-Parkside will host Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday and Southern Indiana on Sunday. Both twin bills start at 12:00 p.m.
 
Below are recaps of all three games completed today.
 
Tuesday's Suspended Completion (Box Score)
(For early inning details see Tuesday's recaps)
 
The Rangers took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning as the teams resumed play after darkness ended things Tuesday night. Parkside was an out away from victory but Whitney Strantz bounced a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at three.
 
With international tiebreaker rules in effect for the game, Ranger pitcher Kelynn Sporer faced an uphill battle to start extra innings with a runner starting on second.
 
An error started the inning and a sacrifice bunt followed to put runners on second and third with one out. Sporer then got a comebacker to freeze the runners and earn the second out.
 
But a pitch in the dirt to the next batter got to the backstop, allowing an unearned run to score and give the Bulldogs the lead.
 
Diana Gordon took second base to start the Ranger eighth but stayed there as the first two hitters were retired.
 
Portillo came up next and ripped one to right field for a base hit. Unfortunately Emma Kelly-Glasoe came up with a perfect throw to the plate to nip Gordon and end the game.
 
Sporer took the tough loss going eight innings while allowing six hits and two earned runs. Portillo finished 3-for-4 with an RBI while Vitiello was 2-for-4.
 
Game 1 (Box Score)
The teams got going quickly in the regularly scheduled doubleheader. And once again Megan Mullen, who threw 15 shutout innings on Tuesday against the Rangers, was the key Bulldog.
 
After pitching the final two innings to earn the win in the suspended game, she tossed a three-hit shutout in game one Wednesday. She struck out six and walked just one.
 
Haley Schneider started for the Rangers and had her best outing of the season. She went all seven innings allowing just two earned runs on seven hits. A pair of two-out singles drove in runs in both the second and seventh innings.
 
Parkside had a golden opportunity in the fourth as they loaded the bases with one out. Vitiello was hit by a pitch before Kirsten Luevano walked. Portillo lined a base hit to center to pack the bags.
 
But Mullen came back to get a strikeout and grounder to escape the jam. It was the third win for her in the series as she finished 24 scoreless innings.
 
Game 2 (Box Score)
The Bulldogs jumped out early looking for the sweep in the finale. They scored two runs on a two-out hit by Kelly-Glasoe against Vitiello in the top of the first. But from then on it was all Rangers led by their junior pitcher and a big offensive outburst.
 
After six straight batters were retired to start the game, Nowdomski tried to get things going in the third. She lined a single to right-center to start the rally.
 
Natalie Shank followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt. The play turned into gold for the Rangers as the ball was thrown down the right field line, allowing Nowdomski to score all the way from first and Shank to head to third.
 
Jessica Norton then reached on another error at third to put two on. After a ground out, Colleen Cummings bounced out to second with Shank able to score to tie the game.
 
It appeared Duluth may get out of the inning with the scored tied but Vitiello changed that with one swing. She launched a long home run to dead center, her first of the year, to give Parkside a 4-2 lead.
 
Luevano restarted the rally with a single up the middle. Sporer followed that with a swinging bunt in front of the plate. Her hustle forced a quick throw and sailed into right field. Luevano scored from first again for a 5-2 lead.
 
Portillo came up next and nailed another home run, her second, and all of a sudden it was 7-2, Parkside.
 
Vitiello settled in and allowed just one hit after the first inning. In the meantime the Ranger offense put the game to bed in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Nowdomski singled for the third time to start the inning. Shank laid down another bunt that was thrown wildly, putting runners on second and third.
 
Gordon ripped a base hit to left to score Nowdomski. Her wide turn at first drew a run down, allowing Shank to head to the plate. That throw was late and it was now 9-2.
 
Cummings and Vitiello finished things off with consecutive singles, the last of which was misplayed in right, allowing Gordon to walk in with the game-winning run.
 
Vitiello got the win with five innings of four-hit ball. She allowed two earned runs while striking out two.