Women’s softball hosts Hit for Lupus games

Hit for Lupus was the theme for the UW-River Falls women’s softball game on Saturday April 17 against UW-Platteville.

Junior Falcon shortstop Dana Book led the way in putting the event together.

Book’s mom, Lorri, was diagnosed with lupus when Lorri was 13 years old.

“Were selling t-shirts and accepting donations for the Lupus Foundation of Minnesota. It’s more of an awareness game, we want people to recognize this disease and hopefully raise some money for the Minnesota Lupus Foundation and it’s research,” Book said.

In the first game, UWRF defeated UWP 14-0. The hits started piling up in the 2nd inning for UWRF starting with Patty Olson, who singled to right field and drove in two runs. Hayley Buchanan doubled to center field and drove in another two runs. The hot hitting continued with Sarah Fern singling to center field and driving in Buchanan for another RBI. Single runs were also driven in by Jamie Klein, Nicole Lubahn, and Jessica Lundgren. UWP stayed scoreless in the 3rd, while UWRF scored two more runs.

Tara Conlin singled to left, making it around to 2nd base. Ashley Goettl followed with a homerun to right center. In the 4th, Goettl did it again, driving in Kelsey Taylor, Lundgren, and Fern.

In game two, UWRF continued their strong offensive effort with a win 8-5 over UWP. After UWP scored two runs in the first, UWRF had to play catch up. Buchanan doubled to left center, driving in Lundgren and Olson for two RBI. UWP caught up in the 3rd, scoring two runs. In the 5th, UWRF scored five runs.

Goettl drove in Olson. Rose Tusa drove in Buchanan, and Taylor tripled to right field, driving in Tusa, Book and Brittany Duellman. Both teams went scoreless until the 6th and 7th.

In the 6th, UWRF Goettl popped up the ball to second base, allowing Lundgren to score. UWP attempted a comeback in the 7th, with a single to center and one RBI. However, UWRF pitcher Jamie Klein closed the game out with a strikeout.

According to Sports Information, shirts are on sale at the UWRF Knowles Building. The cost is $10 and all proceeds will go to the Minnesota Lupus Foundation. The Foundation, over its 30-year history, has aspired to help people attain a better quality of life while still maintaining a realistic grasp on their lupus. The organization has always shown an intense commitment to research, including more than $750,000 channeled to lupus genetics research in just the last five years.