STEVENS POINT, Wis.- In its sixth WIAC conference doubleheader of the season, the 14th-ranked UW-Eau Claire softball team picked up a sweep against UW-Stevens Point, 7-4 and 11-3 in six innings today at McCarty Memorial Field.

With the two wins, the Blugolds remain in second place in the conference standings, improving to 10-2 in the WIAC and 25-8 overall. The losses give the Pointers a 0-8 record in conference play and a 14-14 mark overall.

In game one, Stevens Point got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. Little time was needed for the Blugolds to even the score, with Ainsley Klar (Jr.-La Crosse, Wis./Aquinas) hitting her first career homerun as a Blugold. The homerun brought Blugolds' season total to 11 round trippers.

After the Pointers put up two more runs in the bottom of the second, Eau Claire exploded for five runs in the top of the third to put the game out of reach. With one out and two runners on, Bekki Kidnie (Jr.-St. Paul, Minn./Johnson) delivered a two-RBI single to the shortstop, scoring Katie Stalker (Jr.-Madison, Wis./LaFollette) and Tamara Zeman (Jr.-Lodi, Wis.). With the bases loaded, Klar was hit by a pitch, plating Aleisha Harper (Fr.-Mondovi, Wis./Eau Claire North), who reached on a single earlier in the frame. Two batters later, Betsy Kettinger (Sr.-Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) singled up the middle with two outs, driving in Meghan O'Hearn (So.-Woodbury, Minn.) and pinch runner Becca Moos (Fr.-White Bear Lake, Minn./St. Agnes) to give Eau Claire a 6-3 lead.

The Blugolds posted an insurance run in the fourth, on another run-scoring single from Kidnie. Stevens Point would scratch out one more run in the sixth, which is all they would get for the rest of the game, ending the scoring at 7-4.

Ashley Meinen (Fr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonnel) picked up the win in relief of starter Bri Sturm (Sr.-Zumbrota, Minn./Zumbrota-Mazeppa). Meinen threw four and one-third innings, allowing one run on five hits, and Jenny Ross (So.-Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) picked up her third save of the year, pitching the final inning.

Klar led the way offensively, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI's. Stalker chipped in going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs and Kidnie was 2-for-4 with three RBI's.

Eau Claire carried its hot sticks from game one into game two, scoring in double-digits for the ninth time this year. The Blugolds struck early and often, scoring three runs in the first, one run in the third and another five runs in the fourth to take a commanding 9-2 lead. The scoring onslaught was highlighted by Kristi Doucette (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon) and Sara Baumgartner (So.-Arcadia, Wis.) combining to drive in six of the Blugolds' 11 runs.

Meinen again was the winning pitcher, improving to 7-3 in her rookie season. Meinen threw five innings of relief work, giving up four hits and a single Pointer run.

Doucette and Harper were the Blugolds' leading hitters, both going 3-for-4 with Harper scoring three times and Doucette driving in two and scoring a run of her own. Along with her career-high four RBI's, Baumgartner went 2-for-3 at the dish scoring a run.

Due to impending weather concerns in the forecast, the Blugolds doubleheader against first-place UW-Whitewater originally scheduled for tomorrow at noon has been moved to Monday afternoon, weather permitting.

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

- CL -