MARQUETTE, Mich. – Senior Amanda Kishish (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis) threw a one-hit shutout in the circle and went 2-for-3 at the plate as the UW-Superior softball team opened the 2020 season at the Finlandia Dome Classic with an 8-0 win over Northland in five innings on Saturday.
 
The Yellowjackets dropped the second game of the night, 7-5, to UW-Stevens Point.
 
In the opener, Kishish faced one batter over the minimum, allowing just a one-out fourth-inning double to Northland's Natalie Erler. Kishish struck out eight, walked none and induced six groundball outs. At the plate, she doubled and scored twice and knocked in another run from the leadoff spot.
 
Sophomores Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East) and Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) also each had a pair of hits, while Kirk and classmate Davriana Horvath (Esko, Minn./Esko) drove in three and two runs, respectively.
 
The 'Jackets did the bulk of their damage with a six-run second inning, highlighted by consecutive run-scoring doubles by Kishish and Kirk with one out, a Horvath sacrifice fly and Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) RBI double for a 7-0 lead.
 
Kirk made it 8-0 in the third with a single to right field, scoring Lexi Lasso (St. Paul, Minn./Roseville Area), with two out.
 
The 'Jackets opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Kishish led off with a double to right-center field, advanced to third on a fielder's choice, and two batters later, came home on a Horvath single to left.
 
UWS posted nine hits against Northland, dispatching the LumberJills in just 65 minutes.
 
UWS held a 2-0 lead an inning and a half into the game against the Pointers before UWSP scored six in the fourth and fifth to take the lead.
 
Freshman Olivia Bancroft-Hart (Cambria, Wis./Cambria-Friesland) singled home Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) with two gone in the second for a 1-0 lead. Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) followed with a single to right field, scoring her sister from second base. The Pointers got a run back in the bottom of the inning and then took the lead in the middle innings.
 
Superior rallied for three in the top of the seventh inning with the help of RBI hits by Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) and Bancroft-Hart and a run coming in on a passed ball, but it wasn't enough.
 
Ashley Taipale (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) took the loss in the circle in five innings, giving up eight hits and three earned runs, while striking out seven with one walk. Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) pitched a clean sixth.
 
UWS takes on Finlandia and Concordia Wisconsin at 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. CT Sunday.