GREENSBORO, N.C. (Feb. 25, 2022) – The Loyola University Chicago softball team finished their first day at the UNCG Invitational hosted by the University of North Carolina Greensboro Spartans. After the two games they played, the Ramblers ended the day with a 1-1 record. 
 
GAME 1: RAMBLERS VS SPARTANS
The first four innings went scoreless for Loyola and UNC Greensboro to start this game. However, the Spartans struck in the fifth inning, recording two runs to give them the lead. From there, the Ramblers made a pitching change to stop the bleeding. Even with that change, it was not enough to finish with the win as Loyola lost 4-1 to UNCG. 
 
Scoring the team's sole run was sophomore Sophia Remsik, who made it home on a fielder's choice off a hit from fellow sophomore Teagan Sopczak. This gave Sopczak the only RBI for Loyola. Only two Ramblers ended up with hits in this game, and they were senior Abbey Jacobsen and sophomore Ava Bieneman. 
 
When it comes to the fielding, the Ramblers had no errors. Registering the most putouts was second baseman Haley Wallace. The freshman had five in this game while the next closest player, left fielder Jocelyn Currie, had four. 
 
On the mound, freshman Andie Broniewicz started the game and helped keep it a low-scoring game. Senior Sydney Ruggles came in to finish out the game in the sixth inning, which was the final inning on defense for Loyola. 
 
GAME 2: RAMBLERS VS BISON
Although the start was slow, it very much went in favor of the Ramblers. A hit from junior Amelia Thomas to center field brought senior Madison Ebeling home to score the first run of the game and give the Ramblers a nice push in the first inning. From there, they went two innings before they scored two more runs. This time, junior Tori Boysen hit a double to get fellow junior Abby Brown and Thomas home to put the Ramblers up 3-0. From there, no other runs were scored, resulting in a win for the Maroon and Gold. 
 
As mentioned above, Thomas had one of the best offensive performances for the Ramblers in this game. She registered a run and an RBI to contribute to two of the team's three runs. Boysen's double was also a big help for Loyola as she brought in those two mentioned runs. 
 
On the mound was Peyton Pepkowski. The freshman continues to make an impact for Loyola's pitching staff. She pitched all seven innings, striking out 10 of the 23 batters she faced without walking anyone. This is the first shutout of her collegiate career. 
 
The Ramblers again went without any errors. Making the most plays in this game was Jacobsen, who had 10 putouts. The other top contributor on defense was Thomas, who had six putouts. Senior Nova Sinskul was also helpful, tallying the most assists with three. 
 
UP NEXT
The Ramblers will be back in action again tomorrow as they take on the University of Virginia and Bucknell University. Games are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. CT, respectively. Only live stats will be available for these two games.