Falcons’ roll continues despite obstacles

Despite losing leading hitter Emily Howlett to a freak injury, the UW-River Falls Falcons swept UW-Stout in a doubleheader on Tuesday to bring the team's winning streak to 10 games in a true team effort.

The Falcons won the first game 4-3 in eight innings and the second game 6-3 after trailing for a majority of that contest.

With the two wins the Falcons are now 23-5 on the season and 6-0 in the WIAC which puts them atop the conference at presstime. Their fist place status depends on the outcome of their doubleheader with UW-Eau Claire Thursday.

The wins were made bigger because the team overcame the loss of third baseman Howlett, who leads the Falcons with a .494 batting average and in most major offensive categories, including hits, doubles, RBIs and slugging percentage. Howlett injured her back on Monday playing with preschoolers.

"I told the team that's the mark of a good team ... when you can play well under adversity," head coach Faye Perkins said. "And that's what we did."

After the Falcons' second game, a come-from-behind victory, Howlett emerged from behind the left field fence and was mobbed by her teammates. She said Perkins told her not to join her teammates in the dugout because her presence could be a distraction. Howlett couldn't stay away though, and she watched the second half of the second game from behind the left field fence after returning from a doctor's appointment.

Injuries hadn't been an issue at all this season for the Falcons, but they began to mount on Tuesday with the loss of freshman utility player Jessica Lundgren, who is second on the team with seven stolen bases and serves as one of the team's primary pinch runners.

Perkins said it was a true team effort to win despite the loss of two key players.

"It wasn't that one person was going to have to pick it up," Perkins said. "Everyone's going to have to pick it up a little bit."

Taking over for Howlett defensively at third base was Ashley James. James, who normally starts at catcher for the Falcons, drove in three of UWRF's four runs in the first game. She went three-for-four in the game, including a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning to set up the game-winning run; she went three for seven in the two games. James' replacement behind the plate, freshman Rebecca Troop, scored the winning run in the first game. She reached base after drawing a two-out walk and scored on a throwing error by UW-Stout right fielder Jackie Jaun. Troop also did a good job of blocking arrant pitches and called two good games behind the plate, Perkins said.

Pitcher Brittany Rathbun got the hit that led to Troop's winning run. Rathbun also bailed the Falcons out of a fifth-inning jam when she relieved starter Ashley Bertrand with no outs and runners on first and second. She finished the game to get her tenth win of the season. She also picked up the victory in the second game, relieving freshman Sarah Stoffa after Stoffa gave up three runs and seven base runners in three innings. Rathbun pitched four perfect innings in game two. All told Rathbun pitched 8 innings, giving up three hits, one walk and one run while striking out 10 and picking up both wins to push her record to 11-3 on the season. She said her drop ball was "really working" and that she's finally starting to feel fully recovered from her tumultuous slate of off-season injuries.

The biggest surprise was Rathbun's three-for-six performance at the plate while serving as the team's designated player (hitter) for both games. The three hits represented the first this season for Rathbun.

"It was a beach ball today," she said, referring to how well she saw the ball at the plate.

One of Rathbun's hits came with one out in the fifth inning of the second game with the Falcons trailing 3-0. It started a rally that was capped by game tying three run home run by shortstop Mindy Rudiger. Rudiger's line drive over the center field flagpole, on the first pitch of the at bat, increased her single-season home run record to seven.

"I was just trying to make solid contact," she said. "That's what I do every time I get up."

Rudiger also drove in the last two runs of the game for the Falcons with a two-out sixth-inning single to push the score to 6-3. Rudiger finished the game with five RBIs and now has 22 on the season and is hitting .367, both of which are second on the team to Howlett. She said she enjoys the opportunity to come up with the game on the line.

"I've practiced all my life for those clutch situations," she said.

Perkins said the season has gotten off to an ideal start.

"It's gone great," she said. "The team is really coming together."

Next up for the Falcons is a Thursday doubleheader at UW-Eau Claire, the preseason favorite to win the WIAC. UWEC is ranked fifth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, but was swept by UW-Stevens Point on April 14 in a double shutout.

"I think they're down," Perkins said. "This is a great time for us to be going over to play Eau Claire. We know Eau Claire is beatable."

It is unknown whether Howlett will be able to play against UWEC. Lundgren will likely be out for an extended period of time.

The first pitch against UWEC is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the results of this game were unavailable at press time.