Softball Suffers Early Setback in Cedar Falls

The Loyola softball team traveled to Cedar Falls, Iowa Feb. 7-9 to compete in the UNI Dome Tournament. The Ramblers competed in five games, ultimately going just 1-4 in a series of hardfought matchups.

Feb. 7 vs. The University of North Dakota

The Ramblers struck first in the first inning after fourth-year infielder Haley Wallace advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error by Fighting Hawks third-year catcher Taya Hopfauf. Second-year Liz Sedakis stole home shortly after to put the Ramblers up 2-0. 

Loyola held the momentum heading into the second inning as a hit by first-year outfielder Averi Vander Woude allowed second-year outfielder Katie Mitchell to make her way home for a 3-0 lead. A Wallace at-bat brought Vander Woude home, putting the Ramblers up 4-0.

In the fifth, the Fighting Hawks started to fight back with an RBI by fourth-year North Dakota outfielder Hannah Thompson, bringing home third-year Hawk outfielder Brooklyn Morris. 

Six innings in, a double from Morris down the right field line brought in North Dakota third-year utility player Katelyn Neumayer, making it 4-2. 

Loyola added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth after third-year outfielder Sierra Sass doubled to center, bringing in second-year infielder Skyler Croker for a three-run lead.

North Dakota attempted a comeback in the seventh after graduate infielder Katie Joten came in to score. A final scoring play from Hopfauf was the final run of the game as the Ramblers won 5-4.

Feb. 7 vs. The University of Nebraska-Omaha

The University of Nebraska-Omaha jumped out to an early lead in the first inning after fourth-year infielder Maggie O’Brien stole second and scored on a fielding error by first-year Rambler catcher Alli Pawlowicz. 

Second-year Omaha infielder Katherine Johnson followed with a two-RBI single to right field, bringing in fourth-year Maverick infielder Sydney Thomason and third-year outfielder Ava Rongisch to extend the Maverick’s 3-0 lead.

Omaha added to the commanding lead in the third inning as first-year infielder Haley Wilwerding hit a double to center to bring home Johnson. The Mavericks added two more in the fourth after a Rongisch single brought home Thomason and O’Brien.. 

In the sixth inning, third-year Omaha outfielder Emma Durr tripled to center to bring in O’Brien again, while second-year outfielder Sammy Schmidt singled in the seventh, advancing first-year outfielder Gabby Salazar home for an 8-0 Maverick lead.

The Mavericks ended the game with a final score of 10-0 after two fielder’s choices allowed Schmidt and third-year outfielder Marra Cramer to cross home.

Feb. 8 vs. The University of Nebraska-Omaha

The Ramblers struck first in their second outing against the Mavericks with Wallace stealing home in the first inning. Sedakis added another run after stealing second and then was brought home on a single by fourth-year outfielder Riley Owens. A Mitchell bunt brought in Owens for a 3-0 Loyola lead to start out the game. 

The Mavericks responded in the bottom of the first after fourth-year pitcher Andie Broniewicz allowed a walk with bases loaded, sending Thomason home. Ronigisch crossed after a Wilwerding RBI shortly after. 

Both teams exchanged a run in the second inning after a Sedakis single brought in Vander Woude and a Thomason single advanced Schmidt to home plate. 

In the sixth, Rongisch blasted a three-run homerun to right field to put the Mavericks up 7-4. Wilwerding added an RBI single, and first-year infielder Caroline Glenn was walked by fourth-year pitcher Peyton Pepkowski to bring in Johnson. Wilwerding made it 10-4 after scoring on a wild pitch. 

A Cramer triple in the sixth drove in two more runs to cap off a 12-4 Mavericks win.

Feb. 8 vs. The University of Northern Iowa

An Owens double to left center brought in Vander Woude for the first run of the game against the Panthers.

Northern Iowa answered with third-inning runs of their own, starting off with a single from first-year Panther infielder Drew Hinrichs, which allowed fourth-year infielder Kylee Sanders to score while first-year Northern Iowa utility player Skylar Banesh scored an unearned run. 

After a fielder’s choice and throwing error by Wallace, the Panthers tacked on two more runs by third-year Northern Iowa outfielder Adalyn Reynolds and fourth-year designated player Addison McElwrath. 

The Ramblers started in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly from fourth-year infielder Bella Crimaldi, which brought home first-year infielder Kayci Rigby for a 4-2 ball game. 

Northern Iowa added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth after Sanders singled up the middle to bring in second-year Panthers utility player Paige Peterson and infielder Skyora Smith. The Panthers ended the game with a 6-2 win.

Feb. 9 vs. Drake University 

In the final game of the tournament, the Ramblers took an early first-inning lead when Mitchell reached base on a fielding error by first-year utility player Lilli Gonzalez, which also resulted in Crimaldi and Croker scoring for the Ramblers.

The Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the first with a solo home run by fourth-year utility player Emma Dighton. 

Loyola extended their lead in the second when Wallace — who previously advanced to third on a throwing error by fourth-year infielder Carey Koenig — made her way to the plate for the third Rambler run of the game. 

With a double from third-year Bulldog outfielder Tatum Aragon to left field, Dighton and second-year utility Frankie Rita scored for the Bulldogs, tying the sides until the fifth inning, when a sacrifice fly to center field by Aragon allowed Rita to score again to secure a 4-3 Bulldog victory. 

Following Iowa, the Ramblers will travel south to Orlando to play in the Fonseca Memorial Tournament at the University of South Florida Feb. 14-17. Their first game will be against St. John’s University Feb. 14, with the first pitch set for 10:30 a.m.