The Dominican University softball team split a pair of games on Monday afternoon at the College Spring Games in Minneola, Florida, falling to the Wartburg College Knights, 5-2, before cruising past the Wheaton College Thunder, 10-1, in five innings.  With the split, the Stars move to 3-1 on the season with Penn State Brandywine and Bates College on the schedule for tomorrow in Clermont.
 
Game One: Wartburg 5, Dominican 2
 
The Stars opened a 2-0 lead in the top of the third after Ali Woitovich pushed across Julia Orozco after Orozco was hit by pitch to lead off an inning for the second time in the game.  With Gabi Alfaro on third and Woitovich on first, Dominican perfectly executed a double steal with Alfaro coming across to give the Stars the two-run advantage.
 
After stranding runners at third in the first and third innings, Dominican's Cat Klostermann worked into trouble in the fourth when Mara Forsyth lined a one-out double to the fence in center.  After getting a pop out on the infield, Klostermann issued back-to-back walks to load the bases before hitting Hannah Onken with a 2-2 pitch to cut the Stars' lead down to 2-1.  Klostermann escaped further damage, leaving the bases loaded with a strikeout of Camille Cohen.
 
After Dominican threatened but could not score in the top of the fifth the Knights rallied in the bottom of the inning, plating four runs on a walk, two errors, a fielder's choice and one single.  All four runs in the frame, two charged to Klostermann and two to Michele Behrens, were unearned.
 
With just six outs to play with and trailing by three, Dominican went down in order in the sixth before loading the bases with two away in the seventh.  Jacadi Rivera lined a come-backer to Wartburg's Maddie Rog in the circle that was gloved to end the threat.
 
The Stars outhit the Knights 5-3 in the contest, but stranded ten runners while Wartburg left just five on the bases.  Alfaro, Woitovich, Klostermann, CJ Mardirosian and Cecilia Winters McCarthy all had singles for the Stars in the losing effort.
 
Suffering her first loss of the season, Klostermann allowed just two hits over four-plus innings but walked five while getting two strikeouts.
 
Game Two: Dominican 10, Wheaton 1 (5 Inn.)
 
The Thunder took a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Hannah Clark stole third and an errant throw went into left field.  Dominican's starter in the circle, Sydney Kuderna limited the damage with the help of her defense behind her, turning a 6-3 double play to end the inning and allow the bats to get to work.
 
Dominican pounded out five hits in the bottom of the first, including a leadoff triple for Orozco and RBI doubles for Woitovich and Alfaro as the Stars scored six runs to pull in front.
 
Dominican continued to add to its lead, adding RBIs by Kuderna and Winters McCarthy in the second before Alfaro plated another run with a sacrifice fly in the third.  Dominican's tenth run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth when Alexis Lozano was hit with the bases loaded.
 
Dominican pounded out nine hits in the win, two apiece for Orozco, Woitovich and Alfaro.
 
Kuderna needed just 34 pitches over three innings to pick up her first win of the season.  Olivia Babusci then came on for the final six outs, surrendering just two hits along the way.