EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team split a doubleheader with the University of Northwestern (Minn.) on Tuesday at the Sonnentag Fieldhouse, winning the first game 7-4 before dropping the second 2-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Blugolds (15-3) saw their win streak hit 13 after their win in the first game before the Eagles (15-8) snapped it in Game 2.
- A big start helped UW-Eau Claire capture the first game. The Blugolds pushed across four runs in the bottom of the first inning, with RBI singles from Claire Beck (Sr. - Jefferson, Wis.), Megan Patterson (Sr. - Johnsburg, Ill.) and Ella Henderson (So. - Rosemount, Minn.) helping build a 4-1 lead. Kenna Strunsee (Sr. - Waukesha, Wis./South) also stole home in the inning.
- A two-run homer by the Eagles made it a 4-3 ball game in the top of the second, but an RBI double from Molly Marquardt (So. - Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way West) pushed the Blugolds' lead to 5-3 in the bottom half of the frame.
- Northwestern scored one more time in the third, but Miranda Gernander (So. - Coleraine, Minn./Greenway) finished off the scoring with a two-RBI single for the Blugolds in the fourth.
- Beck earned the win in the circle. She pitched five innings and held the Eagles to two runs while striking out two. Emma Sather (Sr. - Chetek, Wis./Chetek-Weyerhaeuser) pitched two scoreless relief innings to seal the victory.
- A two-run first inning made the difference for the Eagles in Game 2. Henderson got a run in for the Blugolds with a squeeze bunt in the second inning, but Northwestern kept UW-Eau Claire off the scoreboard the rest of the way. The Blugolds got the tying run in scoring position in the sixth, but the Eagles thwarted the rally.
- Jacie Schultz (Sr. - Lake Crystal, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) took a tough-luck loss in the circle. She pitched a complete game with five strikeouts.
- Paige Lathrop (Jr. - South Milwaukee, Wis.) led the Blugold lineup on the day, finishing with three hits.
UP NEXT
UW-Eau Claire returns to the diamond on Saturday, March 29, when it hosts St. Catherine for a doubleheader at the Sonnentag Fieldhouse. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
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