EAU CLAIRE - The UW-Eau Claire softball team split in the second day of the Eau Claire Invite, dropping a 2-1 decision in nine innings to St. Scholastica and then topping Northland 8-0 in six innings here today at Gelein Field.

The loss to the Saints ended the Blugolds 12-game win streak while the split moved them to 19-4 overall. St. Scholastica moves to 16-4 with a pair of wins today while Northland drops to 4-14 with two losses.

The first game pitted ace hurlers Mallory McKinney (So.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) and Laura Heise. The match lived up to the hype, as both pitchers stifled the opposing hitters. Each tossed all nine innings of the extra-inning affair. The Blugolds were the first on the board, as Casey Leisgang (Fr.-Seymour) hit her fifth home run of the year for a 1-0 lead. It was the only run the Blugolds would muster against Heise.

The Saints finally got to McKinney in the top of the sixth, when Paula Madden led things off with a single and was pinch run for by Katie Brown. After a sacrifice bunt and a groundout moved Brown to third, Joann Juten singled her home to tie the game.

In extra innings, each team was able to place a runner at second in their half of the inning because of international tiebreaker rules. Neither team was able to get a run in the eighth inning and Juten scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on a Jody Yurczyk RBI single. The Blugolds had a runner on third with just one out in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to get the run in.

Heise earned the win with a complete game, six-hitter. She allowed only the solo home run while recording 17 strikeouts. McKinney finished with eight hits and two runs, one earned, in nine innings pitched.

The Blugolds got the bats rolling in the second game against a struggling Northland squad. Amanda Bretl (So.-New London) hit her first two home runs of the season as she went 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBI and a pair of runs scored. Terisa Syvertsen (Jr.-Woodbury, MN) also hit her first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Jill Janke (Fr.-Black River Falls) finished the game 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

Andrea Neuville (Jr.-Green Bay/West) earned the win, tossing five innings and allowing just two hits.

The Blugolds return to action Thursday when they head to La Crosse for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader against the Eagles.

Eau Claire-St. Scholastica

Eau Claire-Northland Box Score

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