EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (
www.blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team held their home opener on Saturday with 20
th ranked UW-Stevens Point in town as both Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) squads began conference play. As the Blugolds held senior day, UWEC split the games with a 5-4 upset in game one and an 8-4 defeat in game two.
The runs came quick for the Pointers and Blugolds in game one as the conference competition was in full effect. Stevens Point jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after one and a half innings with a run in the first and second.
Molly Marquardt (Fr. – Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) the Blugolds answered in the bottom of the second as Marquardt blasted her fourth homerun of the year over the left field fence to tie the game at 2-2.
Breann Blanchard (Fr. – Rockford, Minn.) trotted in before Marquardt after pinch running for
Hailey Hagedorn (So. – Farmington, Minn.) who started the inning off getting on first on a UWSP throwing error.
After two scoreless innings, the Pointers jumped back in front in the top of the fifth with an RBI double and an Eau Claire throwing error, allowing UWSP to cross home plate twice for a 4-2 lead. The Blugolds went scoreless in the bottom of the fifth but found their answer in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded,
Miranda Gernander (Fr. – Coleraine, Minn./Greenway) ripped a triple over the right fielder's head to clear the bases and give Eau Claire a 5-4 lead.
Lauren Trottier (Fr. – Burlington, Wis./Elkhorn) kept the Pointers from scoring in the top of the seventh to finish her three innings with six hits, two runs, and four strikeouts to earn her third win of the season.
Jocelyn Hancock (Sr. – Verona, Wis.) started game one and recorded four innings and allowed just five hits, two runs, and struck out two.
Game two began with momentum after the upset victory for the Blugolds as
Hailey Hagedorn and
Molly Marquardt recorded back-to-back RBIs in the bottom of the first to give UWEC an early 2-0 lead. UW-Eau Claire added two more runs in the bottom of the third off a sacrifice bunt by
Ella Henderson (Fr. – Rosemount, Minn.) and an RBI double by
Megan Patterson (Jr. – Johnsburg, Ill.) to increase the Blugold lead to 4-0. Eau Claire kept the Pointers off the board until the fifth inning as
Jacie Schultz (Jr. – Lake Crystal, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome) went four scoreless innings allowing only six hits and no runs with one strikeout.
UW-Stevens Point closed their deficit in the fifth in the sixth with a pair of runs down the stretch. With the score tied in the seventh, UWSP rattled off six runs in the top half of the inning to put the pressure on UWEC with an 8-4 lead. The Blugolds went 0 for 3 in the bottom of the seventh to end the day with a split.
The Blugolds (10-6, WIAC 0-0) will be back on the road on Wednesday, April 17
th as they continue WIAC play with a visit to UW-La Crosse. Game one is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
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