ROSEMOUNT, MN - The 16th-ranked UW-Eau Claire softball team was swept in a doubleheader tonight by No.1 ranked and two-time defending Division III national champion University of St. Thomas, losing game one, 3-2, and game two, 5-3, at the Rosemount Irish Sports Dome.

The two losses drop the Blugolds to 2-2 on the season, while the Tommies improve to 4-0.

In game one, the Tommies jumped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings of play. The Blugolds would cut the lead to 3-2 in the sixth inning after a Casey Leisgang (So.-Seymour, WI) double and then a Mallory McKinney (Jr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) homerun. However, the Tommies would retire the last six batters and go onto win 3-2.

McKinney pitched six innings, struck out five, and gave up three runs in the loss. The Blugolds would only manage four hits in the game with Jill Janke (So.-Black River Falls, WI) and Amber Haack (Jr.-Madison, WI/La Follette) getting the other two hits.

In game two, the Tommies would get 11 hits on their way to a 5-3 victory. The game was tied at 2-2 going into the third inning and then the Tommies scored three in the top of the third and would never look back.

The Blugolds stranded 11 runners, including six in the last three innings. Freshman Bri Sturm (Fr.-Zumbrota, MN/Zumbrota-Mazeppa) allowed no runs and five hits in five innings of relief. Starting pitcher Andrea Neuville (Sr.-Green Bay, WI/West) picked up the loss.

The Blugolds ended with eight hits in game two. Leisgang and McKinney each had two hits for the Blugolds. Leisgang had a leadoff homerun in the first inning to cut the St. Thomas lead to 2-1. Mandy Tschernach (Jr.-Rice Lake, WI) also had two hits and scored a run. Amber Haack and Rachel Paulus (Jr.-Wisconsin Rapids, WI/Lincoln) had the other two hits.

The Blugolds will play their third and final doubleheader of the weekend at the Rosemount Dome tomorrow, as they will face Gustavus Adolphus with the first game beginning at 10 a.m.

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

- JR -