By: Jake Krier, UWEC Sports Information
DE PERE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team met the St. Norbert College Green Knights on Wednesday evening after impending inclement weather forced the games to be moved forward a few days. Each team earned a victory in the doubleheader, with the Green Knights putting together a late comeback in game one, 7-5; Eau Claire was then victorious by a 4-2 score in the second contest.
In a back-and-forth affair, St. Norbert got the last laugh in the first game, scoring five unanswered runs in their final two innings at the plate. They picked up three of those runs to take their only lead of the game in the sixth inning before shutting down the Blugolds in the top of the seventh.
Both teams struggled defensively, committing three errors apiece. The difference, though, was that four of the Green Knights' runs were unearned as they took advantage of the Blugold miscues.
Leading the way for the Eau Claire bats was Gretchen Arneson (So.-Chippewa Falls, WI/Chi-Hi), who drove in three runs on one hit. Emma Lehman (Jr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) added two hits, while leadoff hitter Katie Rongstad (So.-Slinger, WI) scored three times.
The Eau Claire sticks accounted for a dozen hits in game two, which led to the win. After trailing 2-0 after the opening inning, the Blugolds rallied late, scoring one in the fifth and three in the sixth. Arneson and Rongstad hit well once again, as the former went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and the latter 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Despite another three-error game, Cheyenne Johnson's (So.-Poplar, WI/Northwestern) pitching limited the Green Knights attack, surrendering just three hits in the win. The two runs she gave up both were unearned, and she also struck out three St. Norbert hitters. This marks Johnson's first win on the season, moving her record to 1-2 in the circle.
Already at the midway point of the season, Eau Claire's record now sits at 12-8. Conference play begins at UW-La Crosse on April 7 when the Blugolds next take the field.
Follow the action all season long on Blugold Game Day.