LA CROSSE, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire baseball team split a doubleheader with 16th-ranked UW-La Crosse on Friday. The Blugolds fell 12-2 in the first game before bouncing back with a 5-2 win over their highly ranked foe in the second game.
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
The Blugolds scored four runs in the third inning of game two and never looked back. That was more than enough run support for Matt Moore (Jr. - Stillwater, Minn.), who pitched seven standout innings to earn the victory. The right-hander limited the 16th-ranked Eagles to two runs on eight hits and struck out four. Joe Clinton (So. - Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail) earned the save by pitching two scoreless innings of relief, striking out two.
Ryan Casimier (Fr. - Columbia, Tenn./Battle Ground Academy) got UW-Eau Claire on the board in game two by knocking in a run with a fielder's choice. Austin Buck (Fr. - Stillwater, Minn.) doubled the lead by advancing home on a throw down to second base as Casimier stole second. Walter Johnson (So. - Minnetonka, Minn.) followed with an RBI double, and Jacob Lacy (Sr. - Shawano, Wis.) added an RBI single to make it 4-0 in favor of the Blugolds.
UW-La Crosse scored twice in the seventh to halve the Blugolds' lead, but Casimier added some insurance with an RBI single in the top of the ninth. He finished with two RBIs and a stolen base.
The win was the Blugolds' first over a ranked opponent this season.
The Eagles got out to a 7-0 lead early in game one, powered by a six-run third inning. The Blugolds got on the board via a two-run home run by Andrew Murphy (Jr. – Mahtomedi, Minn.) in the top of the fourth to slash the deficit to 7-2. That was as close as the Blugolds would get though. UW-La Crosse finished off the game in seven innings by scoring five times in the sixth.
Connor Weik (Fr. - Wauconda, Ill./Mundelein) doubled in each game for the Blugolds.
The four-game series is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, May 6, with another doubleheader. First pitch is at 12 p.m. at Viterbo Outdoor Athletics Complex. The two games are the final conference contests for UW-Eau Claire this season.
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