MENOMONIE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team moved into first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) standings with a sweep of UW-Stout on Wednesday night.
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
In game one, the Blugolds jumped to an early lead thanks to an Emma Lehman (Sr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) 2-run homer to left field in the second inning. Lehman would come through again in the fourth inning with an RBI-single after Stout walked in a run.
The Blue Devils plated a run in the bottom of the fourth, but a Stout error gave Eau Claire another run in the fifth as the Blugolds went on for the 5-1 win.
Lehman finished the game 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs while Sarah Peka (Jr.-Chanhassen, MN/Minnetonka) tallied the her 10th win of the season and Cheyenne Johnson (Jr.-Poplar, WI/Northwestern) picked up her second save.
The Blue Devils recorded a run in the bottom of the first in game two, but Eau Claire responded with runs in the second and third to take the lead. Stout would tie the score in the bottom of the third but the Blugolds would tack on two more in the fifth to take a 4-2 advantage. A Stout solo homerun cut into the lead and the home squad would load the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but the Eau Claire defense would hold for their 21st win of the season.
Tessa Dachel (Jr. – Chippewa Falls, WI/Chi-Hi) tallied three of the Blugolds' six hits in game two to lead the offense while Johnson earned the win on the mound, striking out six in 4.2 innings of work.
The wins bring Eau Claire's WIAC record to 7-2-1 with two conference doubleheaders to go. The Blugolds will play Oshkosh (5-5) on Friday and face Whitewater (7-3) on Sunday. Whitewater and La Crosse are currently tied for second place while Oshkosh and Platteville are tied for third.
Eau Claire (21-6-1) will be back on the road Thursday as they take on Saint Mary's University in Winona for non-conference action. Follow the Blugolds on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app' on your mobile device.
