CLERMONT, FLOR. - The annual Florida Spring Trip came to a close Tuesday for the Madison College softball team, ending with a pair of losses to conclude a 4-8 campaign down south. The WolfPack dropped a five-inning contest to St. Louis Community College by a 9-1 final, and then fell 6-2 against Cuyahoga Community College to suffer their fifth loss in the last six games of the trip after opening 3-3 over the first three days.

Game #11: St. Louis Community College 9, Madison College 1 (5 innings)

The Archers took advantage of a single and three consecutive walks from starter Claire Smedema to grab a 1-0 lead. The sophomore left the game, and was replaced by fellow second year Addison Warner, who limited the damage to just two runs. A double and a single in the second innings gave SLCC a 3-0 advantage, and a four-run third pushed the differential to seven. 

Madison College got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth when Sophie Rivera led off with a single to left, and two batters later Lillie Pluer's double to right drove in a run before Pluer was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

The first-ever meeting between the two teams ended early when the Archers plated two more runs in the fifth, including a home run off Warner and the final run scoring on a WolfPack error.

Smedema (2-1) took the loss after allowing two earned runs on a hit and three walks without recording an out. Warner then worked 4.2 innings and was tagged for nine hits, four earned runs out of seven runs scored, and three walks. She did strike out three batters.

Rivera, a sophomore outfielder, went 2 for 2 to account for half of the WolfPack's hits. Pluer, a Greenfield, Wisconsin, native, had a hit and a run batted in.

Game #12: Cuyahoga Community College 6, Madison College 2

The final game of the Florida trip again saw the WolfPack playing from behind early after the Triceratops scored three runs in a second inning that featured two hits, three walks, , and an error. Cuyahoga made it 4-0 with a run in the fifth before Madison College tallied their first runs in the home half. Makenna Gish followed a Sophie Rivera single with a double to center to make it 4-1, and then successful steal of home by Gish cut the deficit to just two. The Tops padded their lead in the seventh as back-to-back errors by Madison College allowed two more runs to come in.

Rivera registered two hits to create her second five-game hitting streak of the season, as well as multiple hits in four straight games. She has a hit in 12 of 14 games this season, and at least two hits in seven of those games. She currently ranks in the top 20 nationally with a .575 batting average.

Gish, a former West Bend West HS athlete, finished with a hit, a run batted in, and a run scored. 

Starter Brooke Cimler (0-2) took her second loss of the year after going two innings and giving up three runs, two of which were earned, and two hits. She walked three batters before handing the ball over to fellow freshman Ella Wyskochil for the final five innings. The righthander was tagged for three runs, one earned run, and five hits.

The Tops have won all four meetings with Madison College.

Up Next:

Madison College (6-8) is off for 11 days before resuming the 2023 schedule with their home opener at Robert D. Goodman Softball Field on Saturday, March 25 against Triton College (6-9). The WolfPack boasts a 24-15 lead in the all-time series, however, the Trojans have won four of the last five meetings. First pitch of game one is set for noon, with the doubleheader finale to start at approximately 2:00 p.m. Follow live stats via GameChanger and stream live video at MadisonCollege.tv.

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