EAU CLAIRE, Wis.- The sixth-ranked UW-Eau Claire softball team picked up three dominating wins on the Carson Park football field against Northland College and St. Scholastica (Minn.) this afternoon.

In the first game against Northland, Eau Claire picked up a 9-1 win in a shortened five inning contest. In the doubleheader against the Saints, the Blugolds picked up two more five inning wins by scores of 11-0 and 10-1. Eau Claire is now 12-3 on the season.

After two scoreless innings, the Blugolds rattled off 13 hits in the final three innings to grab the convincing win. Northland managed to get on the board first in the opening inning to take a 1-0 lead. Eau Claire then held Northland scoreless the remainder of the game and scored nine runs of its own.

Five Blugolds recorded multiple hit games. Kristi Doucette (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon), Sara Baumgartner (So.-Arcadia, Wis.), Betsy Kettinger (Sr.-Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson), Ainsley Klar (Jr.-La Crosse, Wis./Aquinas) and Jen Barron (Brooklyn Center, Minn.) all went 2-for-3. Doucette and Jess Freagon (Fr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonell) each hit home runs in the contest, their first of the year. Freshman Ashley Meinen (Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonell) picked up her third win of the season on the mound. Meinen went the distance, pitching all five innings and allowing one run on just two hits.

In the St. Scholastica doubleheader, the Blugold offense continued to roll, combining for 25 hits and 21 runs in 10 innings of work. Nine players recorded at least one hit in the first game, and the team scored at least one run in each inning. Baumgartner led the way, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI's. Kaity Acker (So.-Cross Plains, Wis./Middleton) also went 3-for-3 scoring one run and also driving in one. Jenny Ross (So.-Mendota Heights, Minn.) recorded the win, going four innings and striking out six. Ross improved to 5-1 on the season.

Eau Claire needed the first two innings in the second game to seal the win. A six-run first inning and four run second inning is all the Blugolds would need. Jenny Janke (Fr.-Black River Falls, Wis.) had a productive game, going 2-for-3 with five RBI and one run scored. Doucette also went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Bri Sturm (Sr.-Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa) was the winning pitcher, improving her record to 3-1. Sturm pitched three innings, allowing three hits while striking out five.

The Blugolds are back in action on Wednesday, taking on St. Norbert College. The doubleheader will be played on Gelein Field at Carson Park and is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

Eau Claire-Northland

Eau Claire-St. Scholastica

Eau Claire-St. Scholastica

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