PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (
www.blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team was back on the road on Monday for a rescheduled Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) matchup with the UW-Platteville Pioneers. After being away from the diamond for five days, UW-Eau Claire put on an offensive clinic recording 12 runs and 19 hits to sweep the Pioneers with a 7-3 win and a 5-4 victory.
The opening game of the day found the Blugolds striking first as
Molly Marquardt (Fr. – Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) doubled to right center allowing
Kenna Strunsee (Jr. – Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) to score from second base for a 1-0 lead. UW-Platteville answered in the bottom of the first inning with a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the game at 1-1 after one inning of play.
After a scoreless second inning,
Molly Marquardt gave Eau Claire the advantage in the top of the third with a three-run home run over the center field fence making it 4-1. Marquardt's team leading seventh home run of the year brought
Paige Lathrop (So. – South Milwaukee, Wis.) and
Emma Raikowski (So. – Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) across home plate after a single and a walk from the Bugold sophomores.
After regaining the lead, the Blugolds were kept off the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings as the Pioneers added runs in the bottom of the third and fifth innings to make it 4-3 after five frames.
Hailey Hagedorn (So. – Farmington, Minn.) would get the UWEC offense back in the groove int the top of the sixth with an RBI single to left center that brought
Norah Kutnink across home and extending the UWEC lead to 5-3. In the top of the seventh, Molly Marqaurdt continued to hold the hot bat as she recorded her second RBI double of the game into center field. Two batters later, Marqaurdt then crossed home herself on a Pioneer error to bring the Blugold lead to 7-3.
Lauren Trottier (Fr. – Burlington, Wis./Elkhorn) entered the game in the sixth inning and earned her fourth save of the season while allowing just two hits and recording one strikeout during the nine batters she faced to help Eau Claire secure the 7-3 game one victory.
Jocelyn Hancock (Sr. – Verona, Wis.) earned her fourth win of the season after pitching five innings with six hits, two runs, and three strikeouts during the 29 batters she faced.
The second game of the day held the same fiery Blugold offense as game one as
Molly Marquardt rocketed her second home run of the day and eighth homer of the year over the left center fence, making it 2-0 UWEC. The Pioneers once again answered in the bottom of the first with a single run as the two WIAC squads looked to gain ground in the conference standings.
Megan Patterson (Jr. – Johnsburg, Ill.) added to the Blugold lead in the top of the second with a perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt that allowed
Norah Kutnink to score from third and increase the Eau Claire lead to 3-1.
The Pioneers fought back in the bottom of the fourth inning with three runs off an RBI single and a fielder's choice, giving the Blugolds their first deficit of the day. Despite trailing 4-3, Eau Claire tied things up at 4-4 in the top of the fifth on a double steal by
Kenna Strunsee and Kendal Lenz (Fr. – Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) as Strunsee baited the throw to second and Lenz sprinted across home.
After a leadoff triple by
Lauren Gamme (Sr. – Eagan, Minn.) in the top of the seventh,
Kenna Strunsee ripped a single down the third base line to score Gamme from third and give UWEC the 5-4 lead.
Lauren Trottier entered in the bottom of the seventh and retired the final two batters to earn her fifth save of the year and seal the 5-4 Eau Claire win.
Jacie Schultz (Jr. – Lake Crystal, Minn.)/Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) finished the day with 6.1 innings pitched and three strikeouts while allowing seven hits and five runs to earn her fifth win of the season.
The Blugolds (16-14, WIAC 5-5) will jump right back into WIAC play on the road when they travel to UW-River Falls on Wednesday, May 1. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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Blugold Sports.
