WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team was back at the Diamondplex in Florida on Tuesday for their third non-conference doubleheader of their spring break trip. UW-Eau Claire split the day with a 5-3 victory over Grinnell College and a 10-2 defeat to Carleton College.
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
The Blugolds found a solid start from the mound in game one as Jacie Schultz (So. – Lake Crystal, Minn./Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial) recorded three of her seven total strikeouts in the first two innings. Eau Claire built off the stellar pitching in the top of the third as Megan Maruna (Sr. – Oswego, Ill.) singled up the middle with the bases loaded to bring two Blugolds across home plate for the game's first scores. Three batters later, Paige Lathrop (Fr. – South Milwaukee, Wis.) scored from third on a passed ball to extend the Blugold lead to 3-0. Maruna led the Blugolds in game one with three hits, two RBI's, and one stolen base.
The Grinnell Pioneers answered in the bottom halves of the third and fourth with two RBI singles to cut the UWEC lead to 3-2.
In the fifth inning, Jacie Schultz completed her day with three straight strikeouts and stranded her ninth runner on base. Lauren Gamme (Jr. – Eagan, Minn.) entered the game in the sixth in relief on the mound and began with two strikeouts and a forced fly out in her first four batters faced.
Kenna Strunsee (So. – Waukesha, Wis./South) added insurance runs in the seventh on a single to center field that brought Lathrop and Gamme across home plate to increase the Blugold lead to 5-2. Grinnell battled back in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, but Lauren Gamme found the game's final out on a force play at home to earn the save and a 5-3 victory.
Jacie Schultz was credited with the game one win and is now 1-1 on the season.
The second game of the day was a forgettable one for the Blugolds as the Carleton Knights found an early 3-0 in the top of the third inning. Paige Lathrop answered in the bottom of the third on an RBI single through the left side to score Chloe Garofalo (So. – Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) from second after stealing the bag from first.
The Knights added three more runs in the following two innings as Lathrop was the only Blugold to find an answer. Another RBI single by Lathrop brought Garofalo home after stealing her second base of the game. Lathrop's third RBI of the trip cut the Carleton lead to 6-2 before the Knights added four runs in the final two innings to deal Eau Claire their sixth loss of the season.
Madi Zerr (Sr. – Bristol, Wis./Wilmot Union) received the loss after going four innings with six hits, four runs, and three strikeouts.
The Blugolds (8-6, 0-0 WIAC) will take a day of rest before returning to the diamond on Thursday, March 23rd when they face off with Hope College in a two-game series. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 9:30AM(CST) with game two beginning directly afterwards.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
