Landherr hits homer, Softball splits with Benedictine

MEQUON, Wis. – Cara Landherr belted a three-run home run and Concordia University Wisconsin earned a doubleheader split with Benedictine University on Sunday afternoon. The Falcons dropped the opener, 7-2, before responding with a 10-1 victory in five innings.

The Falcons outhit the Eagles in the opener, but had trouble pushing runs across the board as they stranded seven. CUW found its offensive rhythm in the closing game of the twinbill with seven more hits and received a quality pitching performance from Melissa Perkins.

Landherr (senior, Waukesha, Wis.) took a 3-0 pitch and drove it deep over the left field fence, her fourth of the season, to extend the Falcons lead to 10-1 after four innings of play. Perkins (freshman, Colgate, Wis.) was dialed in, as she tossed two strikeouts and limited the Eagles to five hits in the second game victory.

Junior Stephanie Kramer (Fond du Lac, Wis.) led all players with five hits, while junior Mariah Giesseman (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) earned a pair of walks.

Kailee Cable and Sarah Koch each recorded a pair of hits for BU (8-10, 4-1 NAC). Melissa Guzior (5-3) earned the win in game one after tossing a complete game, nine-hit, two run contest.

The Eagles earned back-to-back walks before double stealing and picking up another walk to load the bases in the third inning of game one. Kailee Cable smacked a double to left field to drive in a pair of runs prior to Melissa Stoch hitting a RBI-groundout for a 3-0 BU advantage after three innings of play.

Cable drove in another Eagles' base runner on a groundout to the second baseman to push Kelly Mieszala across the plate after she reached on a single to left-center field.

BU and CUW (9-11, 3-3 NAC) traded runs in the sixth frame to advance the score to 5-1. Kramer took a full-count pitch through the left side for a base hit. She advanced to second on a fielder's choice before reaching third on a walk. She scored via Alyssa Robison's (junior, Roselle, Ill.) single to right field for the Falcons.

The Eagles plated two more runs in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 7-1. The Falcons couldn't put a rally together, but did see sophomore Sara Skarda (Pleasant Prairie, Wis.) score on a fielding error.

The second contest was in favor of CUW from the start, as it pushed two across in the second and tallied four in the third and fourth to build enough of a cushion for the run-rule victory.

Robison earned two RBIs in the second when she scored senior Abbie Goetsch (Grayslake, Ill.) and Landherr after hitting a double down the right field line. In the third inning, senior Jannelle Schroder (Colgate, Wis.) scored on a Landherr single to right center prior to Goetsch fielder's choice RBI, which allowed Kramer to touch the plate.

Giesseman scored on a play not seen in some time, as she reached on a fielder's choice and advanced home after the Eagles attempted to throw her out at second, but the ball went to the center field fence, which allowed her to scamper home. Goetsch also scored on the play.

CUW returns to action on Monday at MSOE for a pair of NAC contests. The first pitch of the opener is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.