ROSEMOUNT, Minn. - The UW-Eau Claire softball team opened the 2005 season today with a doubleheader split with Gustavus Adolphus (MN), earning a 1-0 victory but falling 5-3 in the nightcap here today at the UST Dome Invitational held at the Rosemount Irish Sports Dome.

Mallory McKinney (So.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) carried the Blugolds to victory in the opener, tossing a complete game shutout and limiting the Gusties to just three hits. Eau Claire earned the victory despite tallying just one hit in the win. The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the third, when Casey Leisgang (Fr.-Seymour) walked and stole second. Molly Blakewell (Sr.-Eau Claire/North) followed with a walk of her own and both runners advance to second on a passed ball. McKinney followed with yet another walk and Leisgang came around to score on another passed ball.

The Blugolds finished with one run on one hit and one error in the first game while the Gusties tallied no runs on three hits and no errors.

The second game saw more offensive production, with Gustavus earning a 5-3 victory behind a four-run bottom of the fourth inning. The Gusties recorded four hits in the inning and benefited from two Blugold errors. All four runs in the inning were unearned.

Eau Claire got on the board in the second inning via a Mandy Freidel (Jr.-Tomahawk) RBI groundout. Jill Janke (Fr.-Black River Falls) tallied an RBI single to left field in the third inning and Terisa Syvertsen (Jr.-Woodbury, MN) had an RBI single up the middle in the fifth inning but it was all the runs the Blugolds would muster in the loss.

Andrea Neuville (Jr.-Green Bay/West) took the loss in the circle for Eau Claire, pitching 5 2/3 innings.

The Blugolds will be back in action at the UST Dome Invitational tomorrow at 2:00, when they play a double-header with first-ranked St. Thomas. The Tommies came into this weekend with an NCAA Division III record 41 consecutive wins. They were the national champions last season.

- DN -