Giesseman delivers walkoff double, helps Softball sweep DU on Senior Day

MEQUON, Wis. – The four Concordia University Wisconsin Softball players who played their last ever games at the CUW Softball Field will certainly remember their last home doubleheader. The Falcons swept Dominican University with a 12-0 and a 3-2 extra-inning win in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference twinbill on Parents and Senior Day, clinching a NACC Tournament berth in the process.

One of those four players, Mariah Giesseman (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) delivered a walkoff double in game two, scoring freshman Jennifer Reicher (Kewaskum, Wis.), completing the Falcons sweep. It was junior Jessica Liszka (Lindenhurst, Ill.) who recorded the game-tying double in the bottom of the seventh inning, just missing a walkoff home run by inches as she hit the top of the wall in left center. Liszka was also honored on Friday as she will be unable to play next season due to her acceptance into the Pharmacy program.

Senior Jamie Schuh (Freedom, Wis.) also had a big day, pitching her fourth shutout of the season in game one. Schuh scattered four hits over five innings of work and struck out four. She also pitched a scoreless seventh inning in game one. The fourth player honored was senior Alyssa Robison (Roselle, Ill.), who delivered an RBI single in the opener.

The wins for CUW also clinched a spot in the NACC Tournament. The Falcons are currently fifth in the conference and could rise as high as the No. 4 seed, depending on the results of theirs and Dominican's doubleheaders tomorrow.

Sophomore Melissa Perkins (Park Forest, Ill.) was the winning pitcher in the second contest as she pitched the first six innings, as well as the eighth inning. She struck out a season-best seven batters. Haley Locher took the loss in the pitcher's duel that was game two, going seven innings and allowing three earned.

In the opener CUW took advantage of four Stars errors, scoring 10 unearned runs in the 12-0 victory. The strangest play in the game came when the Falcons scored three times on a strikeout in the six-run third inning. After the punch out, DU had a runner picked off of first but freshman Sophia Kiela (Plymouth, Wis.) who was on third broke for home and the Stars threw it away, allowing her to score. That also allowed Liszka to score and the Stars again threw the ball away, this time scoring freshman Alexis Holsten (Oshkosh, Wis.). That play gave the Falcons a 4-0 lead, as Liszka singled in sophomore Marisa Hahn (Northville, Mich.) earlier in the inning.

Freshman Carly Sobrilsky (Brookfield, Wis.) concluded the Falcons six-run inning with a two-run home run over the leftfield fence, making the score 6-0. CUW would add six more in the fourth inning with Reicher, Robison and freshman Nicole Bublitz (Brown Deer, Wis.) recording RBIs in the inning. Bublitz's RBI came on a double. 

In game two the Falcons fell behind 2-0 before Giesseman ripped an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, making the score 2-1. CUW would then complete the comeback in the seventh and eighth innings.

CUW (18-16, 12-8 NACC) will close the NACC portion of its regular season schedule tomorrow in a doubleheader at Lakeland. The Falcons and Muskies are set for a noon first pitch.