RIVER FALLS - The eighth-ranked UW-Eau Claire softball team extended its record winning streak to 17 games and had its fourth consecutive sweep of a conference opponent today after it swept a doubleheader from UW-River Falls at Ramer Field.

The Blugolds scored six in the first inning to cruise to a 10-1 victory in five innings in game one. The Blugolds would once again need extra innings in the second game as they won 7-3 in eight innings.

In game one, Blugolds' pitcher Mallory McKinney (Jr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) saw her scoreless inning streak come to an end at 61 when the Falcons scored with one out in the bottom of the first inning. It was the first earned run that she had given up in the last 66 IP. McKinney (14-1) would still get the victory allowing just three hits and striking out four in four innings pitched.

However, she would redeem herself by going 2-for-3 at the plate with two homeruns and six RBIs to lead the Blugolds.

The Blugolds would start off quick as the first two hitters reached base and then McKinney would hit a three-run HR to left to go up 3-0 in the top of the first. Later in the inning after a Shannon Barone (Jr.-De Pere, WI) single that scored Jill Janke (So.-Black River Falls, WI), Amber Haack (Jr.-Madison, WI/LaFollette) would hit a two-run HR to make the score 6-0.

The Falcons would then score in the bottom of the first to make the score 6-1 and it stayed that way until the top of the fourth. Casey Leisgang (So.-Seymour, WI) would hit a RBI single to center to begin the scoring in the inning. McKinney would then step up and hit her second three-run HR of the game to make the score 10-1 and that's how it ended.

Game two would be a little more difficult for the Blugolds. The Blugolds, however, would get on the board first after Leisgang scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first inning. The Blugolds would get their second run in the second on a Leisgang RBI single that scored Bri Sturm (Zumbrota, MN/Zumbrota-Mazeppa).

After the Falcons cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Leisgang would lead off the fifth with a homerun to make the score 3-1. River Falls would get two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game up a 3-3. The game would go into extra innings after neither team scored in the seventh.

In the top of the eight, Mandy Tschernach (Jr.-Rice Lake, WI) would hit an RBI double to break the tie. The Blugolds wouldn't stop there as they added three more runs to go onto win 7-3. Leisgang went 3-for-5 with one homerun and three RBIs and Jill Janke was 3-for-3 in to lead the Blugolds in game two.

McKinney (15-1) won her second game of the day this time in relief as she pitched three innings giving up just two hits and striking out two in the win.

The Blugolds are now 23-3 overall and have a conference record of 8-0. The two losses drops the Falcons to 14-12 overall and a conference record of 1-5.

Next, the Blugolds will host 16th-ranked St. Scholastica in a doubleheader on Tuesday. The doubleheader was originally scheduled for April 2nd, but the game had to be postponed due to wet field conditions. The first game gets underway at 3 p.m.

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

- JR -