GAME 1 | Purdue Fort Wayne 5, Green Bay 4

The Green Bay Phoenix took a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning, but could not hang on and fell 5-4 to the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Friday.

Junior Kayla Schwebke (10-7) got the ball to start for Green Bay (20-17, 15-14) and took the loss.

Offensively, the Phoenix were led by sophomore Alyssa Brewer, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a home run, a walk and an RBI. Freshman Jadin Justman put together a standout day at the plate as well, going 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and an RBI. Junior Morgan Bihun also chipped in for Green Bay, putting together two hits in two trips to the plate while adding a double and a walk.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Phoenix got on the scoreboard first, starting in the second inning. Justman put Green Bay on the board with a one-out solo home run off senior Shaina Eyre.

The Phoenix lost the lead they built in the second, but got back on the board in the fourth trailing 3-1. which brought the Phoenix lead to 4-3. The Phoenix were unable to hold the lead, as Purdue Fort Wayne scored two times over the remaining three innings to grab the 5-4 win.

GAME NOTES

» Schwebke fanned nine Mastodons hitters.
» Green Bay's highest scoring inning was the fourth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Green Bay pitchers limited Purdue Fort Wayne to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
» Green Bay pitchers faced 28 Purdue Fort Wayne hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and six fly balls while striking out nine.
» The Phoenix drew five walks from Purdue Fort Wayne pitching.
» Brewer led the Phoenix at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
» Purdue Fort Wayne was led offensively by senior Rachel Everson, who went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and an RBI.
» Eyre led the Mastodons pitching staff, throwing seven innings of four-run ball.

GAME 2 | Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Green Bay 7

The Green Bay Phoenix put together a spirited comeback, scoring Sophomore Brittany Baneck (8-3) got the ball to start for Green Bay (20-18, 15-15) and took the loss. Freshman Abby Freismuth was a bright spot for the Phoenix, coming out of the bullpen and throwing 2.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits, with no walks and two strikeouts.

In the batter's box, the Phoenix were paced by junior Morgan Bihun, who went 2-for-2 on the day with two home runs, two walks and three RBIs. Baneck furnished a standout day at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs. Freshman Samantha Saloun also helped out for Green Bay, putting together one hit in three trips to the plate while adding a home run, a walk and an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Phoenix got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Saloun put Green Bay on the board with a two-out solo home run off junior Jadelyn Johnson.

The Mastodons then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Phoenix got back on the board in the fourth. Green Bay picked up a run on Bihun's two-out solo home run off of Johnson, which evened the score at 2-2.

Purdue Fort Wayne busted up the tie and grabbed an 8-2 lead heading into the sixth, when Green Bay narrowed the gap to 8-6. The Phoenix bats heated up in the inning, scoring four runs, including a two-run double off the bat of Baneck and a two-run home run from Bihun.

The Mastodons expanded their lead to 9-6 before the Green Bay offense got back to work, digging into that lead in the seventh. Freshman Hailey Heckenlaible crossed home plate with the lone run of the inning for the Phoenix, tightening the Purdue Fort Wayne lead to 9-7. The ballgame ended with that seventh inning rally falling short.

GAME NOTES

» Green Bay got a two-homer day from Bihun.
» Green Bay's power output was led by Bihun, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Green Bay's highest scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed four runs across.
» Four Green Bay hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» The Phoenix took Purdue Fort Wayne pitchers deep three times on Friday.
» Green Bay left 10 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» The Phoenix out-hit the Mastodons at a 12-9 clip.
» Green Bay went 4-for-11 (.364) with runners in scoring position.
» Green Bay pitchers faced 29 Purdue Fort Wayne hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and six fly balls while striking out six.
» The Phoenix drew five walks from Purdue Fort Wayne pitching.
» Bihun led the Phoenix at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two home runs and three RBIs.
» Purdue Fort Wayne was led offensively by sophomore Madeline Swart, who went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
» Johnson led the Mastodons pitching staff, throwing five innings of four-run ball.