DUBUQUE, Iowa ( March 20, 2021) - The Nebraska Wesleyan softball team (4-6, 2-0 A-R-C) defeated Loras (0-6, 0-2 A-R-C) in a doubleheader to open the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) schedule. NWU won game one, 5-2, and took game two, 14-5, in five innings. The Prairie Wolves have now won three consecutive games.

Game One Recap
Loras took a one-run lead in the bottom of the fourth inning but it was short-lived. NWU tied the game in the top of the fifth inning when Alycin Braun scored on an Ashlee Mayorga sacrifice hit. In the sixth inning, the Prairie Wolves added a run when Hanna Roth scored off of Kailey Meyer's single. Nebraska Wesleyan then added three insurances in the top of the seventh. Elise Warneke drove in Braun for the first run then Hanna Roth cleared the bases with a two-run home run. The Duhawks made it interesting with a run in the bottom of the seventh but back-to-back infield ground outs stopped the rally. 

Game Two Recap
Loras had a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first but Nebraska Wesleyan answered back with seven runs in the top of the second inning. Abby Armentrout slammed the first of four home runs for NWU in the first at-bat of the inning. The offense continued as Mollie Grant's RBI single drove in Alycin Braun then Emma Alfieri drove in Ashlee Mayorga with an RBI single of her own. In the next at-bat, Kailey Meyer smacked a grand slam to make it a 7-2.

The Prairie Wolves added two more in the third inning off of a Hanna Roth double that scored Grant and Braun. Elise Werneke plated Valerie Gerlach an inning later with a double to center field to push the lead to 10-5. Nebraska Wesleyan had another offensive explosion in the fifth inning, started by a two-run home run from Alfieri then another home run two batters later from Gerlach to put the rule run in effect. 

What's Next
Nebraska Wesleyan finishes its series with Loras College on March 21. First pitch for the final game is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Dubuque, Iowa.