KISSIMMEE, Florida - In the first day of a six-day, 10-game trip at the Rebel Spring Games, the UW-Eau Claire softball team earned a 3-1 win over Eastern Connecticut State and a 7-3 victory over Allegheny (PA) today in Florida.

The Blugolds improve to 6-2 on the season and have now won four consecutive games. Eastern Connecticut State falls to 0-4 early in the season while Allegheny falls to 2-2 with a pair of losses today.

Eau Claire began its appearance at the Rebel Spring Games with a low scoring affair against Eastern Connecticut. Mallory McKinney (So.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) started the game for the Blugolds and pitched five scoreless innings to start the contest. The Eau Claire offense was held without a run through the first four innings, but finally broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth. Molly Blakewell (Sr.-Eau Claire/North) started things off with a double to left field and was replaced by pinch runner Steph Farenbaugh (Jr.-Brownton, MN/McLeod West). After a groundout moved Farenbaugh to third, Shannon Barone (So.-DePere) walked to put runners at first and third with one out. Eastern Connecticut State brought the infield in with score tied at zero, but Steph Salter (So.-Schofield/D.C. Everest) lined a base hit up the middle to score Farenbaugh and put the Blugolds ahead. Next up was Casey Leisgang (Fr.-Seymour), who attempted a suicide squeeze but the pitch was too far outside to touch. Barone was caught in a rundown between third and home that ultimately ended with obstruction called on the catcher. The play made the score 2-0 and moved Salter to third. She scored when Leisgang grounded out to shortstop.

Eastern Connecticut State scored its lone run off Molly Johnson (Jr.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) in the seventh inning. Johnson came into the game in the sixth but McKinney finished the game, re-entering the game for the final two outs. McKinney notched the win, her third of the season. She pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed no runs on two hits, striking out six hitters and walking nobody.

Game two of the event pitted the Blugolds against Allegheny. After Eau Claire allowed two unearned runs in the bottom of the first on no hits and two errors, the Blugolds settled down and played error free softball the rest of the way. An unearned run in the third brought the Blugolds within a run at 2-1 and a two-run fourth inning gave Eau Claire the lead. Laura Brackey (Jr.-Oakdale, MN/Tartan) led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a double by Farenbaugh. Amber Haack (So.-Madison/LaFollette) walked to load the bases and Leisgang singled to bring Brackey home. Rachel Paulus (So.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) followed with an RBI groundout to make the score 3-2.

McKinney again pitched the first five innings of the game and was in line for the win until Allegheny mustered a run off of Johnson in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at three. The Blugold bats redeemed the run in the top half of the seventh, tallying three hits on top of an error for four runs in the innings. Jill Janke (Fr.-Black River Falls) led things off with a single and Blakewell followed with a sacrifice bunt, but reached first on an error. Megan Oster (Fr.-Eau Claire/Immanuel Lutheran) was then hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. After a force out at home, Farenbaugh singled up the middle to score Blakewell and Oster. Haack followed with a strikeout to leave runners at second and third with two outs for Leisgang. The freshman Blugold delivered, lacing a triple down the left field line to finish the scoring at 7-3.

Johnson ended up with the win, throwing two innings and allowing one earned run. McKinney pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five and walking two in a no decision.

Farenbaugh finished the game 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored while Leisgang was 2-for-