Eau Claire, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team split its doubleheader at UW-Eau Claire Thursday afternoon at Bollinger Fields. The Eagles took the opener, 2-0, before the Blugolds won the nightcap, 4-2. UWL is now 23-12 overall and 8-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while UW-Eau Claire is 17-17 overall and 6-8 in the conference. 

Elise Weinzierl (10-6) earned the complete-game victory in Thursday's opener. She went 7.0 innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four. 
 

UWL took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Jordyn McCormack's two-out home run. The Eagles left runners on base in the second, third and fourth innings before adding to their lead in the top of the sixth. Kyra Lard singled to start the inning and went to second on McCormack's single. Marissa Pease's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Anna Jensen followed with a sacrifice fly to scored Lard to make it 2-0. 

UW-Eau Claire left a pair of runners on base in the fifth and sixth innings. 

UWL finished with six hits in the opener as McCormack and Jordan Schultz both went 2-for-3. 

Madi Zerr (4-8) suffered the loss for UW-Eau Claire, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing fie hits, two runs and one walk while striking out five. The Blugolds totaled four hits with Haley Lamberson finishing 2-for-3. 

In the nightcap, UW-Eau Claire took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Chloe Garofalo singled to start the inning and stole second with one out. After a fly out, Megan Maruna singled with two outs to knock in Garofalo. Maruna went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Zerr's single to make it 2-0. 

UWL cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the third. Abbey Bosch reached on an error and went to second on Lard's single with no outs. Pease delivered an RBI single to score Bosch with one out. The Blugolds responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 3-1 as Maruna tripled with two outs and came in on Zerr's single. 

McCormack walked with one out in the top of the fifth and stole second. Ella Harris walked with two outs and pinch-hitter Maddy Bornbach singled to knock in McCormack to cut the lead to 3-2. UW-Eau Claire regained its two-run lead in the bottom of the inning when Maruna scored on a Hailey Hagedorn groundout. Maruna had doubled earlier in the inning.

UWL left a runner on base in every inning, finishing with 10 in the game. The Eagles had six hits with Lard going 2-for-4. Remington Stark (4-2) suffered the loss, going 4.0 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs and two walks while striking out five. 

Jacie Schutlz (8-5) earned the win for UW-Eau Claire, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing five hits, one run (unearned) and one walk with two strikeouts. Hagedorn picked up her first save of the season, going 3.0 innings, allowing one hit, one run and three walks while striking out two. The Blugolds finished with seven hits as Maruna went 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI. Zerr was 2-for-3 with two RBI and Garofalo finished 2-for-4 with one run.

UWL wraps up its regular season Saturday, May 6 at 24th-ranked UW-Whitewater in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. UWL enters two games behind UW-Whitewater for first-place in the WIAC standings.