By: Jake Krier, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team's woes in conference play for the 2017 season continued on Friday. The Blugolds dropped a pair of one-run games to UW-La Crosse, moving their record against Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opponents to 2-6 on the season.
Despite out-hitting the Eagles in both contests on Friday, UW-Eau Claire still came up short. In game one, La Crosse used a walk and a double in the opening frame to jump ahead 1-0. That was all the run support their pitcher, Jessie Carignan, needed. The Blugolds were blanked on the scoreboard, getting only four hits in the process. Rachel Heffel (Sr.-Racine, WI/Case), Brooke Varian (So.-Madison, WI/West), Carlie Christensen (Jr.-Ellsworth, WI/River Falls), and Emily Pomykalski (Sr.-Cross Plains, WI/Middleton) contributed to the hit column in the loss.
Even though she picked up the loss, Lauren Blasczyk (Sr.-Appleton, WI/East) pitched a gem of a game. Blasczyk went the distance, allowed three hits, the lone earned run, struck out three, and walked two.
Game two saw the same run differential, but the Blugolds offense at least put up four runs in the nightcap. A trio of those came with one swing of the bat in the third inning. Varian touched 'em all with a three-run shot to push the Blugolds ahead. The Eagles bounced back with five runs of their own in the top of the fourth on five hits. In the fifth, Christiansen sacrificed a run in for Eau Claire, but that would be all for their offense.
Heffel added a pair of hits in game two. The freshmen pairing of Sarah Peka (Fr.-Chanhassen, MN/Minnetonka) and Cheyenne Johnson (Fr.-Poplar, WI/Northwestern) split the pitching duties and combined to allow six hits over seven innings of work.
The Blugolds get an opportunity to quickly turn things in the right direction in WIAC play with a doubleheader at UW-Stevens Point on Saturday. Game times are slated to start at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Follow the action all season long on Blugold Game Day.
