La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team rallied in the nightcap to split its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader with UW-Eau Claire Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at North Campus Field. The Blugolds took the opener, 8-7, before the Eagles won the second game, 7-5.
UWL is now 19-13 overall and 3-4 in the WIAC while UW-Eau Claire is 26-10 overall and 6-4 in the conference.
Josie Flom had three hits in the doubleheader.
In the opener, UWL took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Lindsay Steien doubled to start the game after advanced to third on
Brooke Howard's fly-out.
Kasey Brouchoud followed with an RBI single for the game's first run. The Eagles added two runs in the second.
Josie Flom led-off with a walk and advanced to second on
Carly Gross' two-out single. Both runs scored as Steien reached on a Blugolds' fielding error to make it 3-0.
UW-Eau Claire scored its first runs of the game in the third. Emma Raikowski walked and scored on Breeley Gluch's two-run home run to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Blugolds took the lead with four runs in the top of the fifth. Gluch's solo home run tied the game at 3-3. Paige Lathrop scored on Norah Kutnink's single to give UW-Eau Claire a 4-3 lead. UW-Eau Claire extended the lead to 6-3 as Jane Wallace and Kutnink scored on a UWL error.
Kutnink and Claire Beck each had RBI singles in the top of the sixth to make it 8-3.
UWL rallied with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Aliyah Langrehr was hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded to cut the lead to 8-4. Flom came in on Steien's fielder's choice to make it 8-5 and pinch-runner
Kaeley Niemiec and Steien scored on a Blugolds' error to make it a one-run game.
Amber Gonzalez and Flom singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Ava Jaehnke reached on a fielder's choice bunt to load the bases, but Gonzalez was thrown out at home on
Lauren Thurk's fielder's choice and Gross struck out to end the game.
UWL finished with nine hits with Flom going 2-for-3 with two runs and Gonzalez 2-for-3 with one run. Steien scored twice.
Amber Gonzalez went 3-for-6 on Saturday.
Carmen Follette (8-4) suffered the loss, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing six hits, six runs (four earned) and three walks with four strikeouts.
Claire Springer and
Brynne Bieri each went 1.1 innings with Springer allowing four hits and two runs with two strikeouts and Bieri allowed one hit with a strikeout.
UW-Eau Claire totaled 11 hits in the opener with Gluch finishing 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI. Lathrop, Wallace and Kutnink each had two hits with Kutnick and Beck adding two RBI.
Beck (10-3) picked up the victory, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, five runs (three earned) and one walk while striking out one. Kasey Felden went 2.0 innings, allowing four hits and two unearned runs with two strikeouts.
Each team scored four runs in the first inning in the nightcap. Hailey Hagedorn's RBI single scored Lathrop for UW-Eau Claire for the first run of the inning and Hagedorn and Beck later scored on a UWL fielding error for a 3-0 lead. Raikowski's single scored Chloe Ricard to make it 4-0.
UWL responded in the bottom of the inning. Steien and
Brooke Howard singled to start the inning and Brouchoud reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. All three runners came in to score with
Marissa Pease knocking in Steien and Howard with a single and Brouchoud scored on a fielding error to cut the lead to 4-3. Gonzalez followed with an RBI groundout to score Pease to the game.
Raikowski's single in the top of the third scored Siri Springer to give UW-Eau Claire a 5-4 lead.
UWL rallied with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Langrehr's fielder's choice bunt scored Gonzalez to tie the game at 5-5 and Thurk scored on a fielding error to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead. Howard followed with a single to knock in Langrehr to extend the lead to 7-5.
UW-Eau Claire had runners on first and third with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Kennedy Tumm grounded out to end the game.
Marissa Pease had two RBI in the nightcap.
Brooklyn Bigalke (2-0) earned the win for UWL, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing five hits, one run and one walk while striking out seven. Niemiec started, going 1.0 inning, allowing four hits, four runs (one earned) and one walk with two strikeouts.
The Eagles had nine hits as Howard finished 2-for-4 and Gross 2-for-3. Pease had two RBI.
Megan Standiford (0-1) took the loss, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing five hits, three runs (two earned) and one walk while striking out three. Felden started, pitching 1.0 inning, allowing four hits and four runs (two earned) with one strikeout.
The Blugolds finished with nine hits with Beck and Raikowski each going 2-for-4. Raikowski had two RBI.
UWL returns to action Sunday, April 26 with a doubleheader at UW-Stevens Point at 1 p.m.
