EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire baseball team hosted UW-Stout for a doubleheader in its home opener on Wednesday at Carson Park. The Blugolds fell to the Blue Devils 11-2 and 14-12.
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
The Blugolds hit three home runs across the day, but couldn't quite keep up with their I-94 rivals.
UW-Eau Claire was the first to score on Wednesday, taking a 1-0 lead in game one by scoring on an error in the third inning. The Blugolds doubled their lead thanks to an RBI single by Ryan Casimier (Fr. - Columbia, Tenn./Battle Ground Academy) in the fourth. However, the Blue Devils scored 11 unanswered runs from there to pull away.
UW-Stout took the lead with three runs in the sixth, with the go-ahead run scoring on a single. The Blue Devils tacked on four more runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth.
Nico Smith (So. - Chicago, Ill./Taft) pitched six innings and allowed only one earned run, but took the tough-luck loss. He struck out three. The Blugolds' lineup tallied four hits. Austin Buck (Fr. - Stillwater, Minn.) had one hit, scored one run and stole two bases.
The Blue Devils got out in front early in game two. They plated four runs in the top of the first, but the Blugolds got one back with a solo home run from Walter Johnson (So. - Minnetonka, Minn.) in the bottom half of the frame. UW-Stout scored another run in the top of the second to make it a 5-1 game before UW-Eau Claire scored on an error in the third to make it 5-2.
The Blue Devils went ahead 8-2 by scoring three times in the top of the fourth. Drew Salyers (So. - Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe) cut the deficit to five with an RBI single in the bottom half of the frame. The deficit continued to shrink when UW-Eau Claire scored a pair of runs in the fifth. David Janssen (Jr. - Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) hit a sacrifice fly and Calvin Schmitz (So. - Monticello, Minn.) drew a bases-loaded walk.
UW-Stout scored three times in the top of the sixth to pad its lead to 12-5, but the Blugolds erupted in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Andrew Murphy (Jr. - Mahtomedi, Minn.) launched a two-run homer, Schmitz hit a two-RBI single, and Salyers blasted a three-run home run. When the frame was finished, UW-Eau Claire had scored seven times to knot the score at 12.
A solo homer in the top of the eighth put UW-Stout ahead for good, and the Blue Devils added one more run later in the inning.
Buck, Murphy and Salyers all finished with three hits for UW-Eau Claire, which tallied 14 hits collectively. Salyers drove in four runs and Murphy knocked in two. Schmitz had three RBIs. Johnson finished 2 for 5. Buck, Murphy and Casimier all had doubles.
The Blugolds will be back at Carson Park this weekend for a four-game series against UW-Stevens Point. They'll host Alumni Day on Saturday, April 29, with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. Youth Day is scheduled for Sunday, April 30, with another doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
