APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University softball team picked up a Midwest Conference doubleheader split with Beloit College on Saturday, with the Bucs holding on to win the opener 7-6 and the Vikings posting a 5-3 win in the nightcap.
Beloit (6-25, 1-7 MWC) led 7-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh in the opener when the Vikings rallied. Lawrence had two outs and two runners on when Megan Butterbrodt tripled to cut the lead to 7-4. Alex Goodson followed with a single to score Butterbrodt and the lead was 7-5.
A throwing error by Beloit shortstop Lauren Rybka on Amanda Hauser's ground ball allowed Goodson to score to trim the margin to 7-6. Carli Gurholt, who had homered earlier in the game, was then called out on a bang-bang play at first base to end the game.
Hillary Cheever also homered for the Vikings in the opener. Katy Nilson allowed seven hits and struck out eight to pick up the win. Catherine Marinac took the loss.
Lawrence (8-15, 2-6) struck first in the nightcap, picking up a run on Butterbrodt's RBI single in the top of the first.
The Vikings had runners at second and third with two outs in the third when Gurholt singled to left. The ball got past Nicolo Oddo, allowing both runs to score and putting Lawrence up 3-0.
The Vikings made it 4-0 in the fifth when Goodson singled and later scored on Gurholt's single.
The Bucs got back into the game with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Two throwing errors on pitcher Meredith Foshag were sandwiched around Nilson's run-scoring allowed Beloit to trim the lead to 4-3.
Foshag came right back to retire the side in order in the sixth, and the Vikings added an insurance run in the seventh when Hauser tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. Foshag then retired the Bucs in order in the seventh to nail down the win.
Gurholt went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the nightcap, and Goodson and Hauser both had two hits for Lawrence.
The Vikings wrap up the season on Sunday when they host the University of Chicago in a nonconference doubleheader.