CLERMONT, Fla. - The penultimate day of Union College softball's trip to Florida to open the season saw the Garnet Chargers suffer a crushing extra innings defeat to Colby, 7-5, before they fell to undefeated Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 4-0.
 
Game One: Colby 7, Union 5 (9 innings)
 
An extra innings battle that saw Colby take the walkoff win began with the Mules taking an early advantage, using a double and an error to take a first inning lead.
 
Union starter Autumn Duff took control from there, allowing no hits in the next two innings before the Garnet Chargers responded in the fourth. A pair of Colby errors allowed Union to tie the game at one before a sacrifice fly from first-year Sam Rose and fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore Ellie Wintringer gave Union a 3-1 lead after three and a half.
 
Colby got one back in the fifth before tying the game in their final at-bats. A perfect bunt play with runners on the corners with no one out in the seventh allowed Emma Burnham to scamper home and tie the ballgame.
 
The two teams traded a run apiece over the next inning and a half as the game went into extras. First-Year Sophia Gomes notched her first run batted in of her Union career in the top of the eighth, driving in sophomore Haley Gibbons to regain the lead before a sacrifice fly in the home half sent the game to the ninth.
 
Sophomore Ellie Wintringer continued the strong start to her sophomore campaign, scoring junior Mel Kappel for her sixth RBI in six games to put Union back on top.
 
The top of Colby's lineup would provide fits in the bottom of the ninth however, and Chloe Wilcox sent a three-run home run over the right field fence to grab the victory for the Mules.

Wintringer and Kappel each reached twice for Union, with Gibbons and Kappel each scoring twice.
 
Duff's eight and a third inning complete game would be the longest outing of her career. The junior put up a strong showing, allowing six hits and three earned runs while throwing 113 pitches.
 
Game Two: Wisconsin-Oshkosh 4, Union 0
 
Union held strong with the undefeated Titans, who came into the contest with a 10-0 record, before three runs in the top of the seventh provided Wisconsin-Oshkosh some padding to their one-run lead to take a 4-0 win.
 
The two teams traded baserunners in the first two innings, with Union getting a single in the first from Wintringer and two singles in the second from junior Nahnny Sobetzko and sophomore Elizabeth Werner, but were unable to cash in.
 
UWO took the lead in the third, with Cali Divito scoring on a passed ball to make it 1-0.
 
Rose singled with one out in Union's half of the inning before proceeding to move up to second on a wild pitch, but was left there.
 
In the circle, Kappel stranded a pair of Titans runners in both the fourth and fifth, including with UW Oshkosh threatening with second and third with just one out in the fourth before inducing a fly out and ground out right back to her to leave the runners on base.
 
Junior Tatum Perkins would be Union's lone baserunner the rest of the way after walking with two outs in the sixth, as the Garnet Chargers were unable to put together any additional response as UWO added three in the seventh to secure the victory.
 
Kappel assembled her strongest performance from the rubber of the season-opening trip, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out three in her complete game.
 
Union wraps up their 2024 Florida trip on Tuesday with one final doubleheader, set to face off with Gustavus Adolphus at 10 AM and again with Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 12:15 PM.