ST. PAUL - The Martin Luther College softball team was unable to slow the bats of the Eagles from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (UNW) in a pair of defeats on Thursday by the scores of 8-1 and 16-1.

UNW 8, MLC 1

The Eagles scored twice in the first inning and at least once in five of their six times at bat on the way to an 8-1 win in game one.

UNW scored a pair of runs in the first, third and sixth innings, and tacked on one run in both the second and fourth frames in the win.

The Knights finished the game with seven hits, but weren't able to scratch a run across the board until the sixth inning, when Lisa Hoffer hit her first home run of the season.

Brett Burger (0-2) started the game and pitched all six innings for MLC, allowing eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits and two walks. 

Hoffer continued her strong start to the season with a 3-3 effort, including the solo home run.

UNW 16, MLC 1

The Eagles continued to roll in game two as they finished the sweep with a 16-1 win in game two.

UNW scored eight runs in the first two frames, and then put the game away with eight more runs in the third inning. 

The Knights struggled defensively behind three different pitchers, committing six errors that led to nine unearned runs in the game. Megan Pung (0-2) started the game and allowed eight runs (five earned) in two innings.

Halley Engelbrecht accounted for the lone MLC run in the fourth inning off a wild pitch. 

MLC fell to 0-4 on the season and 0-2 in UMAC play after the two defeats. UNW improved to 7-15 overall and 2-0 in league play with the two wins.

The Knights will return to action on Saturday, April 3, when they travel to Crown for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.