ROCKFORD, Ill. — Milwaukee Area Technical College softball dropped both games of Friday's road doubleheader at Rock Valley College, falling 9–1 in five innings and 6–1 in the nightcap. The Stormers slipped to 8–21 overall and 0–9 on the road, extending their losing streak to nine games against one of the region's perennial powers.
Rock Valley, ranked No. 4 nationally in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, seized control early in Game 1 by breaking a scoreless start with a five‑run second inning that featured five hits, including two home runs, on the way to a 9–1 win. MATC generated limited traffic in the nightcap, putting just five runners on base, but
Lily Dermyer delivered the highlight with her first career collegiate home run, a solo shot in the third that briefly cut the deficit to 2–1. The Stormers continued to compete defensively and kept the game within reach into the late innings, but Rock Valley's steady pressure at the plate carried the Golden Eagles to a 6–1 victory and the sweep.
"The scores do not reflect how well we played and competed against the No. 4 team in the country," MATC head coach Joe Kuntner said. "We executed our game plan, but their speed at all nine positions was tough to overcome."
Game 1: No. 4 Rock Valley 9, Stormers 1 (5 Innings)
MATC ran into one of the nation's most explosive offenses in Friday's opener, falling 9–1 in five innings to No. 4 Rock Valley after the Golden Eagles used a decisive second‑inning surge to take control.
The Stormers held Rock Valley scoreless through the first inning, but the Golden Eagles broke the game open in the second with a five‑run outburst built on five hits, including a pair of home runs. That inning proved to be the turning point, as MATC was forced to play from behind the rest of the way.
Starter
Lily Dorado took the loss, working 1.2 innings and allowing three earned runs on four hits.
Chloe Lago followed in relief and threw 1.2 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and a walk, while
Nevaeh Folk recorded the final two outs of the fourth, allowing one unearned run.
Offensively, MATC struggled to generate momentum against Rock Valley's pitching staff, finishing with just two hits — a leadoff single from
Alyssa Pavlovich to open the game and a leadoff double from
Ava D'Acquisto in the fifth. The Stormers did not draw a single walk.
Rock Valley added four more runs in the fourth, capitalizing on a leadoff walk, a defensive miscue and a sacrifice fly to extend the margin to 9–0. MATC broke through in the fifth when D'Acquisto ripped a leadoff double and later came around to score during
Jordan Hanserd's at‑bat, but the Stormers were unable to extend the inning as the Golden Eagles closed out the run‑rule win.
Game 2: No. 4 Rock Valley 6, Stormers 1
MATC put together one of its steadier pitching efforts of the week in Game 2, but No. 4 Rock Valley gradually pulled away late to complete the sweep with a 6–1 win in Friday's nightcap.
Starter
Jordan Hanserd kept the Stormers within striking distance through four innings, scattering eight hits while allowing three earned runs and just one walk. Rock Valley struck early with a solo home run in the first and added another run in the second on an RBI double, but Hanserd repeatedly limited further damage to keep MATC in the game.
The Stormers cut the deficit in half in the third when
Lily Dermyer opened the inning by driving a solo home run over the left‑field wall, trimming the margin to 2–1. It was one of five MATC hits in the game, joined by singles from
Amira Baldon,
Alyssa Pavlovich,
Emma Roeper and Sommer Beckman.
Rock Valley regained momentum in the fifth with a one‑out triple followed by an RBI single to make it 3–1. The Golden Eagles then broke things open in the sixth, stringing together back‑to‑back doubles and two RBI singles to push the lead to 6–1.
Maiya Tearney worked 1.1 innings in relief, allowing three earned runs on five hits, while
Nevaeh Folk recorded the final out of the sixth without allowing a hit.
MATC attempted to spark a rally in the seventh when Roeper led off with a single, but Rock Valley closed the door with three straight strikeouts to end the game.