OAK CREEK, Wis. — Milwaukee Area Technical College softball showed two very different versions of itself Wednesday afternoon, getting no‑hit in a 3–0 loss to Waubonsee in the opener before erupting for a 9–2 win in the nightcap that nearly ended via mercy rule.
After struggling to generate offense in the opener, MATC responded with a decisive turnaround in Game 2, using an eight‑run inning to even the day's results. The Stormers improved to 13–24 overall with the victory.
"The second game was fantastic," MATC head coach Joe Kuntner said. "We took advantage of some miscues by Waubonsee and we hit the ball hard, ran hard, and so overall it was a fantastic win for us going forward into the weekend."
Game 1: Waubonsee 3, MATC 0
MATC never found its footing in the opener, falling 3–0 after being no‑hit and striking out 14 times. The Stormers managed only two baserunners, both from
Emma Roeper, who reached on a hit‑by‑pitch in the third inning and later drew a two‑out walk in the fifth.
"Waubonsee's starter is one of the best pitchers within our region," Kuntner said. "She shut us down, but we failed to execute offensively in everything fundamentally that we could."
Despite the lack of run support,
Ellie Brzek turned in a solid start. She worked three innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Waubonsee struck early, scoring twice in the first on a walk, a single and a two‑out, two‑RBI base hit. A leadoff double in the fourth set up another run on a one‑out RBI single that pushed the deficit to 3–0.
Jordan Hanserd kept MATC within striking distance the rest of the way. She threw four scoreless innings in relief, giving up only two hits with no walks and three strikeouts, but the Stormers' offense never broke through against Waubonsee's dominant starter.
Game 2: MATC 9, Waubonsee 2
MATC responded immediately in the nightcap, turning the page on its Game 1 frustration with a dominant 9–2 win that nearly ended early by mercy rule. The Stormers built a 9–0 lead through three innings and had multiple chances to close the game out, including bases‑loaded, two‑out situations in both the third and fifth innings, but Waubonsee extended the contest into the late frames.
Maiya Tearney set the tone in the circle. The freshman allowed two earned runs on four hits over four innings, striking out three and walking one.
Brooke Peters followed with three scoreless innings of relief, giving up three hits and one walk to secure the win.
"I think it was a total team effort," Tearney said. "My defense was working for me today and I was just in a groove, so everything was flowing together."
The Stormers' offense erupted in the second inning, scoring eight runs after a leadoff walk and doing all of the damage with one out.
Emily Pujanauski opened the frame with a walk, and pinch‑runner
Hayley Beckman took her place on the bases. After a popout,
Jordan Hanserd walked, and
Hallie Knurowski dropped down a bunt that turned into an infield single when Waubonsee tried unsuccessfully to cut down Beckman at the plate for a 1–0 lead.
The inning snowballed from there.
Mackenzie Herther walked to load the bases, and pinch‑hitter
Ellie Brzek reached on an error that brought in another run.
Mia Carani followed with a two‑RBI single to make it 4–0. Moments later,
Jayden Moss hit a grounder that resulted in a fielder's choice and an error by the catcher, allowing two more runs to score for a 6–0 advantage.
The rally continued with a walk to
Somer Beckman, a single from Pujanauski, an RBI single by Roeper and an RBI single from Hanserd that pushed the lead to 8–0 before a line‑drive double play ended the inning.
"I felt really confident heading back out in the third with an 8–0 lead," Tearney said. "Just knowing we had such a large lead was nice and it allowed me to further settle in."
MATC added its ninth run in the third when Pujanauski drew a bases‑loaded walk, but a flyout kept the Stormers from ending the game early.
Waubonsee scored twice in the fourth on a two‑RBI single after a leadoff hit and a hit‑by‑pitch set up runners in scoring position. MATC stranded a runner at third in the bottom half and later left the bases loaded again in the fifth after Roeper was hit by a pitch, but the Stormers could not push across the mercy‑rule run.
Peters handled the final innings with poise, stranding a leadoff double in the sixth and allowing only a one‑out single in the seventh to close out the split.
Carani paced the offense, going 1‑for‑3 with a two‑RBI single, a walk and a run scored. Moss added a single and scored once, while Pujanauski reached three times with a single, two walks and an RBI. Roeper chipped in an RBI single, and Hanserd finished 1‑for‑2 with a single, two walks and a run scored. Knurowski added an RBI and scored once. Tearney earned the win after working four strong innings.
UP NEXT
MATC (13–24) returns to action Saturday with a road doubleheader at Morton College. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m., with Game 2 to follow at 2 p.m.
