Wausau, WI- The Wausau Ignite (7-20) won in historic fashion on Sunday afternoon, trouncing the Mankato Habaneros (13-13) by a score of 14-6. The 14 runs scored were the most ever in franchise history, topping the previous record of 13 set on their opening day win against La Crosse.

The massive win started out rocky, as the Ignite went down 6-2 through the first three innings. The offense, which had been kept at bay by the top pitching staff in the Northwoods League throughout the series, made a crucial breakthrough in the fourth inning.

Molly Fitzgerald (Missouri S&T), Alysa Lowe (Northern State), and Kaylee Kinsinger (Dodge City CC) loaded the bases to start the inning, and the Ignite manufactured six runs on six hits, their best inning of the series. The offense posted four more runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to make it 12 total unanswered runs, cementing the victory.

Fitzgerald, Riley Schwisow (Northwestern State), and Mia Johnson (UW-Parkside) all logged multi-hit games, while Johnson, Fitzgerald, Reagon Proud (Upper Iowa), and Hannah Trzinski (Minnesota-Crookston) posted multi-RBI outings.

Riley Stiles (Lake Forest) pitched a complete seven innings and held the Habaneros scoreless through the final four frames.

The Ignite won their first game of July and their first since June 27th, breaking a 12-game losing streak. They will cap off the series against Mankato on Monday, with first pitch set for 6:05 pm CT.

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Leveraging the 31-year success of the Northwoods League, the first for-profit Summer Collegiate Baseball League, Northwoods League Softball (NWLS) is the first for-profit Women’s Summer Collegiate Softball League beginning play in the Upper Midwest in the summer of 2024.  The purpose of the League will be to develop players for their college, Olympic and future professional play.  Teams will be promoted similar to minor league baseball teams, playing games in front of fans in a fun, friendly, family-oriented environment.