By Justin Dade – Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team took advantage of an opportunity to take the regular season WIAC conference title by taking down the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans 2-1 and 6-3 on Saturday at Gelein Field.
Game one box score | Game two box score
The Blugolds continued their impressive conference run after their two wins over UW-Stout on Wednesday taking two very important games against the Titans led by pitchers Lauren Blasczyk (Jr. – Appleton, WI) and Zana Lorbetske (Sr. – Rhinelander, WI) who gave up only eight hits collectively on the day.
UW-Claire trailed 1-0 in the first game until the sixth inning where Kelsey Meredith (Jr. – Golden Valley, MN) connected on her third home run of the season to tie the game at one apiece.
After Morgan Lecheler (Jr.-Menomonie, WI) started the bottom of the seventh with a double off the fence, Carlie Christensen (So.-Ellsworth, WI/River Falls) then drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single to right center to take game one.
Blasczyk earned her 10th win of the season in the game pitching all seven innings giving up just three hits and the lone earned run.
The Blugolds kept the pressure on in game two scoring five of their six total runs in the first two innings.
Rachel Heffel (Jr.-Racine, WI/Case) led off the inning with a single and would later score on an error in the inning to give the Blugolds a 1-0 lead.
Leah Wolff (Jr. – Middleton, WI) kept things going, driving in Gracia Larson (Sr. – Eau Claire, WI) and Sam Noetzelman (Jr. – Delano, MN) on a 2-RBI single to left center in the bottom of the first inning to extend the lead to 3-0.
The bats stayed hot in the second inning as Meredith reached on a bunt to begin the inning and later scored in the inning on an error.
Evie Schaller (Jr. – Chippewa Falls, WI) continued her strong season adding an RBI double later in the inning to drive home Heffel to extend the lead to 5-1 after two innings.
Christensen drove in an insurance run in the fifth inning on an RBI single to center field scoring Darby Raffel (So. – Middleton, WI).
Lorbetske recorded her ninth win of the season in game two pitching the first six innings allowing just three earned runs on four hits.
Blasczyk took the closing role in the seventh inning and gave up just one hit securing the 6-3 victory.
The Blugolds (22-11-1) have one more doubleheader with St. Norbert on May 2nd on the road before the start of the 2016 WIAC Conference Tournament that will be held in Eau Claire for the second-straight season.
