Eau Claire, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team splits its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader UW-Eau Claire Wednesday afternoon at Bollinger Fields. UWL took the opener, 4-3, before UW-Eau Claire won the nightcap, 2-1.
The Eagles are 16-14 overall and 1-3 in the WIAC while the Blugolds are 20-8 overall and 2-2 in the WIAC.
UWL started the scoring in the top of the first inning in the opener when
Brooke Howard scored on a sacrifice fly from
Maddy Bornbach to make it 1-0.
Brynne Bieri earned the win in the opener.
UW-Eau Claire got on the scoreboard as Kenna Strunsee hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game, 1-1. The Blugolds took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second with Hailey Hagedorn hitting a solo home run to make it 2-1 and Norah Kutnink coming in on a Paige Lathrop RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1.
UWL tied the game in the top of the fourth.
Lindsay Steien delivered an RBI double to score Bornbach to cut the lead to 3-2 and
Marissa Pease added an run-scoring double of her town to knock in Steinen to the game at 3-3.
The Eagles took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh on Howard's RBI single to score
Cristin Casey with the eventual game-winning run.
Brynne Bieri improved to 4-2 on the season, earning the win while pitching 3.2 innings. She allowed two hits with one strikeout.
Carmen Follette started for UWL, going 3.1 innings, allowing eight hits and three runs while recording four strikeouts.
Pease and
Amber Gonzalez each went 2-for-3 while Howard finished 2-for-4.
Emma Sather (0-1) suffered the loss for UW-Eau Claire, pitching 1.0 inning, while allowing three hits and one run with one strikeout. Claire Beck went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs and six hits while recording eight strikeouts.
Marissa Pease went 2-for-3 in Wednesday's opener.
Hagedorn went 3-for-3 while Strunsee and Lathrop each finished 2-for-4.
Strunsee scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first inning in the nightcap to give UW-Eau Claire an early 1-0 lead. Lathrop later scored off a Miranda Gernander single in the inning to extending the lead to 2-0.
UWL got on the board in the top of the fifth when Howard scored on an
Abbey Bosch sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Madi Lee dropped to 3-4 on the season while suffering the loss, pitching 3.1 innings. She allowed two runs, six hits and three walks while recording.
Claire Springer pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two hits.
Howard finished 2-for-4.
Jacie Schultz (9-3) earned the win for UW-Eau Claire, going 5.0 innings. She allowed one run, five hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Sather pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one walk with one strikeout.
Brooklyn Swanepoel finished 2-for-2 for the Blugolds while Kutnink went 2-for-3.
UWL returns to action Saturday, April 19 hosting 21st-ranked UW-Stevens Point in a WIAC doubleheader starting at noon at North Campus Field.
