LA CROSSE - The ninth-ranked UW-Eau Claire softball team extended its winning streak to 11 games today after taking both games of doubleheader against UW-La Crosse in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener for both teams at North Campus Field.

The Blugolds improved their record to 17-3 overall and 2-0 in the WIAC after taking game one by a score of 3-0 and then taking game two by a score of 12-4 in six innings. The Eagles drop to an overall record of 10-10 and a WIAC record of 0-2.

In game one, the Blugolds' Mallory McKinney (Jr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) showed why she is one of the best pitchers in the conference as she threw a complete game two-hitter in the 3-0 win. McKinney (9-1) struck out nine and walked nobody in her 10th complete game of the season.

The Blugolds got on the board early after Casey Leisgang (So.-Seymour, WI) led off the game with solo homerun on the first pitch she saw to put UWEC up 1-0 in the first inning.

That score would stay that way until the top of the sixth when Jill Janke (So.-Black River Falls, WI) singled to right, scoring Rachel Paulus (Jr.-Wisconsin Rapids, WI/Lincoln) to put the Blugolds up 2-0. Later that inning, Megan Ellenbecker (Fr.-Athens, WI) would single to score Janke to put the Blugolds up 3-0.

The Blugolds had a total of six hits in the game with Janke leading the way for the Blugolds as she went 2-for-3.

The Blugolds' bats would wake up in game two as they scored 12 runs on 12 hits in the 12-4 victory. Casey Leisgang would once again lead the game off with a homerun to put the Blugolds up 1-0. Rachel Paulus would single and steal second and third before Megan Ellenbecker would single to score her and Steph Salter (Jr.-Schofield, WI/D.C. Everest) to make the score 3-0.

After the Eagles scored one in the bottom half of the first inning, Leisgang would come up again in the second inning and homer for the second time in as many innings, this time a two-run HR to put the Blugolds up 5-1. Leisgang ended 2-for-3 with two HR and three RBIs in the game.

It would stay that way until the top of the fifth when the Blugolds would score five runs. After RBIs by Jill Janke and Mandy Tschernach (Jr.-Rice Lake, WI), Amber Haack (Jr.-Madison, WI/LaFollette) would hit a three-run HR to make the score 10-1. Mallory McKinney and Tschernach would both have RBIs in the sixth as the Blugolds went onto win 12-4.

Bri Sturm (Fr.-Zumbrota, MN/Zumbrota-Mazeppa) improved to 5-0 on the mound as she went five innings and struck out six in the game two victory.

Next, the Blugolds will travel to play UW-Platteville in doubleheader tomorrow with the first game beginning at noon.

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

- JR -