AUBURNDALE, Fla. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire baseball team played their final games of the 2022 Russmatt Invitational on Wednesday as they faced Benedictine University (Ill.) and Middlebury College. After dropping game one 12-8 to the Eagles, UWEC finished spring break with a win over the Middlebury Panthers, 9-8.
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
In game one, the Blugolds struck first on an Otto Treichel (Jr. – Madison, WI/West) double to center field to score Andrew Murphy (Fr. – Mahtomedi, MN) and Ryan Venne (So. – Eau Claire, WI/North) for a 2-0 lead. Jacob Lacy followed that with his first homerun of the season to make it 4-0.
The 4th inning, Ryan Venne put more points on the board with a single to left field that scored Cade Mueller. Benedictine answered back with six unanswered runs in three innings for a 9-5 Blugold deficit. Andrew Murphy continued his great day at the plate with a double to left field to score Nate Witte (So. – Woodbury, MN/East Ridge) and bring Eau Claire within three runs of the lead. A Benedictine home run in the 8th inning would extend the lead too far out of reach for Eau Claire, despite a 9th inning double by Treichel that scored Murphy and Witte.
Matt Moore (So. – Stillwater, MN) pitched four innings with four strikeouts, three hits, and four runs in his third start for the Blugolds this season and is now 2-0 on the season.
With a quick turnaround into game two against the Middlebury Panthers, UWEC found themselves down early in the second inning after a pair of RBI singles created a 3-1 Blugold deficit. Otto Treichel continued his stellar day at the plate during the doubleheader with a two run RBI single to right field to score Dustan Green (Fr. – Prior Lake, MN) and Scott Richards (So. – Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandberg) to take a 4-3 lead.
Andrew Murphy extended the Eau Claire lead moments later with a single to center field that brought Nate Witte and Treichel around the bases to home to increase the lead to 6-3. Carson Windeshausen (Fr. – Eau Claire, WI/Memorial) found his rhythm in the 5th inning with a double to left field to score Phil Zynda (So. – Central Lakes, MN) and a sacrifice fly in the 6th to score Andrew Murphy. Zynda earned himself an RBI in the 6th with a single to right field to extend the UWEC lead.
With a 9-5 lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning, the Panthers came crawling back with a two-run home run by the second batter to make it 9-7. Will Girardi (Fr. – Mackinaw, IL/Dee-Mack) stepped in to face the fifth batter of the inning and closed the game out with two ground outs, a fly out to center, and only one run scored to earn UWEC the 9-8 win.
Nico Smith (Fr. – Chicago, IL/Taft) went seven innings with two strikeouts, six hits, and four runs to earn his first collegiate win as a Blugold and start his 2022 season record at 1-0.
The Blugolds (5-5, WIAC 0-0) will travel back to Eau Claire later in the week and prepare for Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Saturday, March 26th when they travel to UW-Oshkosh. The first pitch of the WIAC doubleheader is scheduled for 12:00PM.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
