EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (
www.blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team continued their home doubleheader weekend at Bollinger Fields on Sunday with a pair of nonconference games against the College of Saint Benedict Bennies. UW-Eau Claire had a productive day at the plate with 11 combined runs and 22 combined hits during the two-game affair, but ultimately fell in both games, 7-4 and 13-7.
Both sides found their way across home plate early in game one as UWEC jumped out to a 2-1 after the first inning.
Molly Marquardt (Fr. – Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) answered the Bennies opening inning run with an RBI single to right field to score
Claire Beck (Jr. – Jefferson, Wis.) from third base and tie the game at 1-1. Two batters later,
Ella Henderson (Fr. – Rosemount, Minn.) sent a fly ball into right field that was dropped by the outfielder, allowing Marquardt to score from second putting UWEC ahead, 2-1.
The Blugolds' lead would last for just a single inning as the College of Saint Benedict put together two RBI singles in the third and a solo home run in the top of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Eau Claire answered right back in the bottom of the fifth as
Molly Marquardt hit her team leading sixth home run of the year over the centerfield fence to cut the Bennies' lead to 5-4. CSB gave themselves a cushion in the top of the sixth with a 2 RBI double to the left centerfield gap to regain their three-run lead at 7-4. The Blugolds were left scoreless and hitless in the final two innings as they took the first game defeat, 7-4.
Game two saw early runs by both teams again as the Bennies jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first.
Claire Beck would be the first to help cut the lead down in the bottom of the opening inning with an RBI to centerfield to score
Kenna Strunsee (Jr. – Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South). Two batters later,
Emma Raikowski (So. – Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) grounded out to second, allowing
Paige Lathrop (So. – South Milwaukee, Wis.) to score from third.
Hailey Hagedorn (So. – Farmington, Minn.) followed Raikowski's RBI up with a single through the right side that brought
Molly Marquardt across home as the Blugolds cut their deficit to 4-3.
The powerful CSB offense didn't let up as they added seven runs in their next two innings to increase their lead to 11-3 after the top of the third. UWEC wouldn't go down without a fight as
Hailey Hagedorn and
Siri Springer (Fr. – Lino Lakes, Minn./Mounds Park Academy) recorded back to back RBI's in the bottom of the third, making it a six run game.
After a clean inning for the Blugold defense in the top of the fourth, the top of the Blugolds' lineup continued to chip away at the deficit as
Claire Beck recorded an RBI ground out and
Molly Marquardt hit an RBI double to get the home team to within four runs.
The comeback would stop short after the fourth as the Bennies added two more in the top of the fifth and kept UWEC to just three hits and no runs in the final three innings as UW-Eau Claire fell, 13-7.
The Blugolds (13-13, WIAC 2-4) will return to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Tuesday, April 23 when they host UW-Stout at Bollinger Fields. Game one of the conference doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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