MELBOURNE, Fla. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team secured a 6-4 win against Nebraska Wesleyan University and followed it up with an 8-0 victory over Baldwin Wallace University on Friday. The Blugolds showcased a powerful offense, tallying a combined total of 23 hits, including two home runs, a triple, and three doubles across both games.
In the first game against Nebraska Wesleyan, UW-Eau Claire opened with a tie as Lathrop singled, advanced to third on a single by Beck, and scored on an RBI single by Kutnink. The Blugolds took the lead in the second inning with Hagedorn hitting a home run to left centerfield.
The pivotal fifth inning featured a surge of offense: Beck singled and was replaced by pinch runner
Breann Blanchard, who scored on a double by
Chloe Ricard. Hagedorn doubled, bringing in
Bella Florio, and
Marlee Smith added an RBI single to score Hagedorn, concluding the inning with a score of 6-4.
Lauren Trottier pitched a complete game against Nebraska Wesleyan, allowing four earned runs over 7 innings, facing 28 batters and striking out two. She improved her season record to 4-1.
Offensively,
Claire Beck recorded three hits, while Hagedorn added a home run and a double, driving in two runs and scoring twice. Ricard contributed with two RBIs and a double.
In the second game against Baldwin Wallace, the Blugolds got off to a strong start.
Brooklyn Swanepoel singled and advanced to third on a fielding error, with
Paige Lathrop driving her in with a single up the middle.
Breeley Gluch then tripled to bring in two more runs and later scored on a wild pitch, giving the Blugolds a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
The fourth inning saw Lathrop's single allow
Hailey Hagedorn to score, extending the lead to 5-0.
Jane Wallace hit a two-run homer to center field in the sixth, increasing UW-Eau Claire's advantage to 7-0. In the seventh inning,
Norah Kutnink scored on a groundout by
Ava Kozlovsky, solidifying the final score at 8-0. The Blugolds maintained control throughout the game.
Claire Beck pitched 3 innings without allowing a hit or a run, striking out one batter and facing nine batters for a perfect WHIP of 0.00.
Kasey Felden contributed 4 innings, surrendering three hits but keeping the opposition scoreless while striking out four, maintaining a WHIP of 1.75 despite four walks. Felden now has a record of 2-1 on the year.
Lathrop shone with four hits and two RBIs, while Wallace added a home run and two RBIs. Gluch recorded a triple and drove in two runs, and Hagedorn scored twice, collecting three hits.
The Blugolds hold an overall record of 8-4 and will face Western Connecticut State next on Saturday, March 14, at 1:30 p.m. (EST) and the University of Hartford at 4:45 p.m. EST in Melbourne, Florida.
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