EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire softball team split with UW-Platteville in the regular season finale on Friday, taking game one 5-4 before falling in the nightcap, 9-0 (6 innings).
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Photos | Full Photo Gallery | WIAC Championship Website
An early Pioneer lead did not deter the Blugolds as they rallied for three runs in the second and one in the third to tie the game at four apiece.
Sadie Erickson (Fr. – St. Paul, MN/North) started the Blugold rally in the second, singling to right field. Bailee Sillman (Sr. – Chippewa Falls, WI/Chi-Hi) would later single to center and both would score on Meghan Witt's (Jr. – Portage, WI) base hit to right center. Eau Claire would then take advantage of an error and two walks to bring in the third run.
In the third, Katelyn Yute (Sr. – North Prairie, WI/Kettle Moraine) doubled and would later score on Sillman's single up the middle to tie the game.
The score would remain tied until the seventh. Erickson tallied her second hit of the game to get on base and Maria Back (Jr. – Rosemount, MN) followed with a single of her own to continue to put pressure on the Pioneer defense. Katelyn Yute (Sr. – North Prairie, WI/Kettle Moraine) then put down a perfectly placed bunt to score the winning run, giving Eau Claire their 22nd win of the season.
Julia Counard (Sr. – De Pere, WI) earned the win in the circle for the Blugolds, pitching 5.2 innings in relief and gave up just one hit.
Eau Claire out-hit Platteville 12-7 in the game with Erickson, Back and Sillman recording two hits each while Yute was 3-for-4 with a double.
Game two was a different story, as the Pioneers out-hit the Blugolds 12-4 en route to the run-rule win. Mikayla McEnery (Sr. – Savage, MN/Prior Lake) collected three of the Eau Claire hits, finishing the game a perfect 3-for-3. Abbey Place (Sr. – Naperville, IL/Central) had the fourth Blugold hit.
Eau Claire (22-16, 8-6 WIAC) currently sits in third place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) standings and will host the sixth seed for the WIAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday, May 11. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
