SUPERIOR, Wis. – The UW-Superior softball team scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning of game two Wednesday to break a 1-1 tie and salvage a doubleheader split with Northland at NBC Spartan Sports Complex.
 
UWS won the nightcap, 5-2, after being shut out by LumberJills right-hander Sofia Garcia, 5-0, in the opener.
 
With the score deadlocked in the finale, Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) led off the fifth with a double to right-center field and moved to third on Tayler Kraemer's (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) infield single. After a stolen base and 3-0 count on Olivia Bancroft-Hart (Cambria, Wis./Cambria-Friesland), Northland pitcher Kayla Preisler was lifted in favor of Garcia. Bancroft-Hart walked before Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East) shot a single to left field, scoring Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) for the lead.
 
Next up, Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) hit a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) for a 3-1 advantage, prior to Kirk evading a tag from Northland shortstop Kaylee Harnack, to allow Jessica Jacobson (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Southern Door) to reach and score Bancroft-Hart from third. After a strikeout, Kaileigh Miller (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) coaxed a walk with the bases loaded, forcing in Kirk, to extend the lead to 5-1.
 
Northland (15-15, 7-5 UMAC) opened the scoring when Saylor Donnelly lined a single to right field with one out in the top of the first, scoring Jenna Reyes. Superior responded with a Kirk single through the left side with two out, chasing in Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) – who singled and stole second – to tie the game.
 
The 'Jills got another RBI single from Donnelly in the seventh, but Amanda Kishish (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis) (2-0) wiggled her way out of trouble, striking out Garcia to end the game. Kishish scattered nine hits and a walk in the circle, fanning nine in her first complete game of the season.
 
Garcia, who worked the final two innings, allowing one earned run, one hit and two walks, kept the 'Jackets off balance in the opener. She yielded just four hits and two walks to improve to 9-7 on the year. 
 
Northland plated an unearned run in the first inning of the first game and tallied two each in the fourth and fifth frames, riding Garcia, who did not allow a runner past second base in the contest, the rest of the way. 
 
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) fell to 8-6, lasting four innings and giving up three hits, one earned run and five walks before giving way to Malania Madill (Canyon, Minn./South Ridge).  Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) had a pair of singles for while Jacobson and Miller had the other base hits for the 'Jackets.
 
Kirk paced UWS at the plate, going 2-for-4 in game two with a steal, two runs driven in and one scored.
 
UWS (14-10, 7-5 UMAC) heads to Bethany Lutheran Thursday for a 3:30 p.m., UMAC doubleheader.