RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The 11th-ranked UW-Eau Claire softball team collected its second sweep this week as it beat UW-River Falls in both games today.

Eau Claire had to hold off a Falcon comeback in Game One but took the victory 6-5. The Blugolds won the second game 10-3 and capped it off with a four-run seventh.

Eau Claire jumped to a 6-0 lead after two and a half were complete in the first matchup. Casey Leisgang (Sr.-Seymour, Wis.) hit her program-record 33rd career homer to lead off the game and start the bats. Jenny Ross (Fr.-Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) would hit a two-run shot later in the inning to make it 3-0.

The Blugolds hung another three-spot on the scoreboard during the third inning. A walk and a single put two on with two out for Bekki Kidnie (So.-St. Paul, Minn./Johnson). Kidnie managed an infield single while Michelle Butkus (Sr.-Medford, Wis.) crossed the plate. Betsy Kettinger (Jr.-Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) followed that up with a double to plate two.

River Falls' third saw the team collect two runs off three hits and a Blugold error. Two innings later, they would find more success with three runs off four hits, a walk and a wild pitch. Ross kept the Falcons hitless the rest of the way and clung to the one-run win.

Leisgang went 2 for 3 with the solo homer and Ross went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. The offense outhit River Falls 9-to-7. Ross stayed undefeated at 13-0 while picking up the win. Her six and a third innings had two earned runs off five hits and a walk. She struck out five. Jessica Flood (So.-Madison, Wis./La Follette) surrendered two other earned runs.

The second game started out the same as the first when Eau Claire tallied three runs in the first inning. Jill Janke (Sr.-Black River Falls, Wis.) singled in Leisgang, who led off the game with a base knock. Two batters later, Ross reached on an error while Janke's pinch runner, Sara Baumgartner (Fr.-Arcadia, Wis.), scored. With two down, Kidnie again brought in Butkus on an infield single.

Janke added two more an inning later when she launched a two-run homer to right-center. River Falls replied with two in the third and both teams scored single tallies later.

With the score 6-3 in the seventh, Eau Claire really put it out of reach by scoring four runs in the final frame. All four runs came on one swing as Kettinger hit her second homer of the year.

All the hitting led to Eau Claire outdoing the Falcons 12-to-9 in the hits department. Janke went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs. She leads the team in RBIs with 28. Kettinger had a 2 for 4 performance with the four RBIs and a run off the grand slam.

The Blugolds went through three pitchers in the game, including Kristi Doucette (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon), Bri Sturm (Jr.-Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa) and Ross. Ross went the final three frames and got the win. She gave up a run off four hits while whiffing one.

Eau Claire is now 8-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and 23-7 overall. The Falcons are 5-7 and 22-10 in the respective records.

The Blugolds pick up the action again on Friday at UW-Superior. First pitch is at 3 p.m.

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

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