CLERMONT, Fla. (
www.blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team was back in the Florida sun on Sunday as they continued play during THE Spring Games on their annual spring break trip. With nonconference matchups against Nazareth University and Grinnell College. After a convincing 8-0 win over Nazareth in 6-innings, UW-Eau Claire rallied in the later half of game two and defeated Grinnell college in dramatic fashion, 6-5.
From the opening inning against the Golden Flyers, UWEC had the momentum in game one as
Claire Beck (Jr. – Jefferson, Wis.) and
Molly Marquardt (Fr. – Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) hit back-to-back RBI singles for an early 2-0 Blugold lead. Eau Claire added to their lead in the second as Kenna Strunee (Jr. – Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) knocked home
Kendall Lenz (Fr. – Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) with an RBI single and
Claire Beck kept her consistency with her second RBI single in her second at bat. Marquardt also added her second RBI of the day in the second inning with a pop up to left field that allowed
Paige Lathrop (So. – South Milwaukee, Wis.) to tag from third, making it 5-0 after two innings.
Later in the bottom of the fourth,
Paige Lathrop scored on a passed ball and
Claire Beck scored on a bases loaded walk to increase the lead to 7-0.
Laya Hallquist (Fr. – Norwood Young America, Minn./Central) ended the game in the sixth inning for Eau Claire with an RBI line drive to right field that brought
Marney Roemhild (Fr. – Baldwin, Wis./Baldwin-Woodville) across home to reach the 8-run rule in the sixth inning.
Jocelyn Hancock (Sr. – Verona, Wis.) earned her second win of the season as she pitched three shutout innings, recorded three strikeouts, and gave up only one hit.
Game two of the day held some carryover momentum for UWEC from game one as
Hailey Hagedorn (So. – Farmington, Minn.) helped the Blugolds grab an early 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single to left field. The Pioneers of Grinnell College answered in the bottom of the first, as the two teams stayed tied at 1-1 until the fourth inning when Grinnell added two more runs. While facing a 3-1 deficit after four innings of play, UW-Eau Claire kept fighting and made the most out of every at bat.
Ella Henderson got the party started in the sixth with a 2 RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.
Salena Jeanson (Sr. – St. Paul, Minn./North St. Paul) pinch hit in the sixth and brought in the go ahead run with a single to left field, making it 4-3 UWEC. Henderson and
Kenna Strunsee weren't done there as Strunsee extended the lead to 5-3 with a single to left in the sixth and Henderson brought Hagedorn across home with the eventual game winning run in the top of the seventh. The Pioneers garnered two runs in the bottom of the seventh with a double to left field, but
Kira Schubert (Fr. – Eau Claire, Wis./North) enterd in relief and shutdown any comeback efforts from Grinnell to earn her first collegiate save as UWEC earned the 6-5 victory.
The Blugolds (5-3, WIAC 0-0) will be back at Legends Way Fields on Monday, March 18
th for a pair of games against Amherst University at 12:30 p.m. ET and Tufts University at 3 p.m. ET. Both games are scheduled to play on Legends Way Field 4.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at
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Blugold Sports.
