St. Bonifacius, Minn. – The Crown softball team earned a split with UW-Superior on Tuesday, hosting Yellowjackets who entered the day with a 19-5 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in UMAC play.  The Storm dropped game one by a score of 12-1 in five innings, then rebounded for a 7-3 win marked by timely hitting and solid defense.

It was all UWS in game one as the top ranked Yellowjackets used speed on the bases to put pressure on the Crown defense.  The visitors notched 17 hits and forced three Crown errors, also stealing six bases in the game.  Abbie Carroll threw the ball well and struck out three, but was saddled with the loss.  Crown scored their lone run of the game on a Maria Lilienthal single in the first inning that scored Liz Kemp.

Game two featured a really solid pitching performance from Abbey Underdahl who went all seven innings and pitched around 10 hits to allow three earned runs.  Most importantly, the first-year walked just one and added two strikeouts. 

UWS did jump out to an early lead, scoring one in the top of the first, but the damage was limited by the first of two double-plays started by shortstop Ashley Earick.
 
Crown scored twice in the bottom half on back-to-back-to-back extra base hits.  Underdahl tripled with one out and was brought home by a Kemp double.  The two-bagger was Kemp's 11^th of the season, putting her just one off the season record of 12 shared by Cassidy Valenzuela and Telma Roesler.  Lilienthal then doubled home Kemp to stake Crown to a 2-1 lead. 

Crown extended the lead in the third on a clutch two out single up the box from Maliya Martinez that scored Kemp, but UWS scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game at three all.

The Storm didn't shy away from the moment, instantly responding with four runs in the bottom half of the fourth, all with two outs.

Ally Adams singled and then Underdahl walked with two away to set the table for the duo of Kemp and Lilienthal.  After Crown's center-fielder singled to load the bases, Lilienthal delivered a single that scored both Adams and Underdahl as Crown re-took the lead.  After Kiara Hurt was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, Martinez put a ball in play that crept through the UWS infield to score Kemp and Lilienthal and stake Crown to a 7-3 lead.

Underdahl took over from there, allowing just three baserunners over the final three innings and recording the game ending strikeout to seal the big win.  The Crown defense was near flawless in this one and made big plays to thwart any attempt at a Yellowjacket comeback. 

Kemp scored a team high three runs as part of a 3-4 game and Lilienthal knocked in three on a 3-4 game herself.  Kemp is now hitting .488 for the season, the second-best mark in the conference and Lilienthal leads the league in slugging with an incredible .763 mark. 

The win is number four on the season for Crown, and their second win in the UMAC, but easily stands as the Storm's best win of the season.  The team will look ahead to a double-header with Martin Luther tomorrow (Wednesday) as they try to keep the momentum from the big victory.