OAK CREEK, Wisc. –  Hosting Milwaukee Area Technical College opened this weekend's Stormer Quad-Invite (MATC, Kishwaukee, Dakota County Technical College, Black Hawk) by securing a pair of victories over Kishwaukee and Dakota County Technical College on Saturday.

In the opener, the Stormers leaned on the power of leadoff hitter Sophia Hansen, who drove in three runs off two homers, en route to a 6-4 win. In its follow up game against Dakota County, MATC secured an 11-10 victory thanks to a walk-off RBI single from Ava Marx. Both wins helped the Stormers improve their record to 13-16 and 7-3 at home.

"It's fantastic to open the Stormers Quad-Invite with two wins," MATC head coach Joe Kuntner said. "Both teams played hard and we were lucky enough to have the ball bounce our way at the end there with Ava's walk-off single in Game 2."

Game 1: Hansen's hot-streak continues as Stormers power past Kishwaukee
One day after hitting her first career home run against Joliet Junior College on Friday, MATC leadoff hitter Sophia Hansen barreled two more homers in a 6-4 Stormers' win during the opening game of their Quad-Invite with visiting Kishwaukee Saturday afternoon.

Hansen's first home run came on the very first pitch in the bottom of the first to help kickoff a three-run inning that gave her squad an immediate 3-1 lead following a two-RBI double from teammate Jayden Moss. In her very next at bat in the second, Hansen went deep again, this time coming on a two-run shot after Taylor Wilson reached on a double. Leading 5-1, the Stormers scored their third and final run of the second off a defensive error by the Kougars.

"Honestly I credit everybody for having confidence in me because I've had multiple teammates over the past couple of weeks tell me that I can do it, and then it finally happened," Hansen said after recording her third homer in the three games. "That first homer I just saw a meatball on the first-pitch and I went for it."

MATC starter Eleanor Henschel had another solid outing by forcing weak contact from her opposing hitters. The sophomore righty hurled 6 and ⅓ innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts to help earn her first win on the rubber this season.

"When Eleanor [Henschel] has all her pitches going, she can be one of the best pitchers in our region [Region 4]," MATC head coach Joe Kuntner said.

After surrendering a solo shot in the third to trim the lead to 6-2, Henschel buckled down and fired back-to-back scoreless innings between the fourth and fifth innings. It wasn't until the sixth, where she ran into a little bit of trouble after giving up her second solo home run to begin the inning. Following the leadoff homer, the Kougars scored another run off a defensive error before eventually setting themselves up for a chance to tie with a runner on third and the tying run at the plate with only one out. However, that was when Henschel made the play of the game by diving to catch a bunt attempt by Crystal Haack before doubling up the runner on third for an inning-ending double play.

"That was honestly such a big play," Hansen said of Henschel's unassisted double-play in the sixth. "She couldn't have executed it any better."

Henchel and reliever Jordan Hanserd combined to hurl a scoreless seventh to help seal a two-run victory for the Stormers.

STAT BOOK
Hansen recorded her first career multi-homer game – a solo home run in the first and a two-run shot in the second – to help lead the Stormers at the plate. Hanserd added two singles and a pair of runs. Moss recorded a two-RBI double and Wilson chipped in one double and a run scored.  Henschel (1-4) tossed 6 ⅓ innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out two to earn the win.



Game 2: Marx's walk-off single lifts Stormers past Dakota County in high-scoring affair
Ava Marx's clutch walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh helped MATC edge Dakota County in a back-and-forth high-scoring affair. Tied 10-10 with Jordan Hanserd (walk) on first and Sophia Hansen (single) on second with zero outs, Marx cleared the infield with an RBI single to drive in Hansen and walk away with a thrilling one-run victory.

"I knew she's been throwing low all day and I wasn't gonna give her anything below the belt," Marx said of her walk-off hit. "She threw it down the middle and I just put it where their defenders weren't."

Leading up to the walk-off single, the Stormers had to fight back from an early 3-1 deficit through one inning of play. MATC starter Emma Staudt got out of a second-inning jam unscathed after finding herself with runners on first and second and one-out, which helped lead to a four-run bottom of the second all with two outs by her team's offense. Sophia Hansen barreled her third home run on the day, smacking a three-run blast to help the Stormers regain a 4-3 lead. Hansen later scored on an RBI triple from Marx to cap off the inning.

Dakota County trimmed the lead to one run in the third following a solo home run before going on to plate a pair of runs in the fourth to retake a 6-5 lead. MATC responded with one run of its own in the bottom half of the inning after Marx was able to score Nevaeh Folk (single) on an RBI single.

Tied 6-6 midway through the contest, the Stormers were able to outscore the Blue Knights 4-2 in a pivotal fifth inning. MATC got three straight singles from Aniesa Neave, Madi Johnson Hass, and Emily Pujanauski, which led to Neave scoring on an RBI groundout from Hansen. Jordan Hanserd followed up Hansen with a two-RBI single before adding their final run of the inning on a throwing error by the defense.

Up 10-8 through five, MATC surrendered another solo shot in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh, which led to Marx's walk-off single to avoid extra innings.

"I thought this was a really good team win," Marx said. "Definitely one of our best wins so far this season and so being able to walk away with two wins today was huge, especially when it comes to playoff seeding later in the season. I'm just proud of our team overall."

STAT BOOK
Marx went 4-for-4 with a walk-off RBI single to help lead the Stormers at the plate. Hansen totaled four hits, including two doubles and a three-run homer. Hanserd contributed three hits, which was two more hits than teammates Madi Johnson Hass, Zoey Murph, Aniesa Neave, and Emily Pujanauski. Emma Staudt earned a no-decision in a valiant effort on the mound.

Fun Fact: Since Sophia Hansen made the move to switch from hitting lefty to righty on Friday against Joliet Junior College, the sophomore leadoff hitter has been on an absolute tear. Over the last four games Hansen has gone 11-for-18 with 13 RBIs and seven extra-base hits, including four home runs.

"I kind of got into a hitting slump batting left-handed and so my coaches told me I had nothing to lose if I switched up and went righty," Hansen said for her reasoning to switch from lefty to righty in the batter's box.



UP NEXT
MATC (13-16) will wrap up its Stormer Quad-Invite Sunday starting with Dakota County at 10 a.m. and then Black Hawk College at 2 p.m.