UW-Stout 8, UW-Eau Claire 3 |
UW-Whitewater 12, UW-Stout 1 (5 inn)
WHITEWATER (May 5, 2017) - Just one weekend removed from scoring five runs over six games, UW-Stout found a power surge in the first round of the WIAC Softball Championship and downed UW-Eau Claire, 8-3, Friday morning. Later in the afternoon, the Blue Devils were bounced by top seeded UW-Whitewater, 12-1 in five innings.
In a game that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours, the Blue Devils punched out 14 hits, burning through three UW-Eau Claire pitchers.
The Blue Devils (17-22) opened the game with two runs in the first inning, then added three more in the second inning before Eau Claire got on the board.
Stout struck immediately in the game.
Rachel Thomas beat out a lead-off bunt in the first inning, then came home on Kyncaid Diedrich's home run to center field.
The Blue Devils added three in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Blue Devils loaded the bases, but first were forced out at home on a fielder's choice. But pitcher
Beth Wood delivered a deep double to center field to push everyone ahead of her home.
Eau Claire (27-10) got on the board in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Carlie Christensen. Eau Claire added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run by Tayler Mort to pull to within 5-3.
The Blue Devils would have none of that and matched the two runs in the top of the fifth, again using the long ball.
Kaylee Francois led off the inning with a double and came home when she belted her team-leading sixth home run of the season.
Wood did not give up another hit the rest of the way, shutting the Blugolds down 1-2-3 in the final three innings. Stout added an insurance run in the seventh inning when Francois drove in
Kim Jablonski, who led off the inning with a single.
Wood went the distance for the Blue Devils, notching no strikeouts, but she simply did not allow many Blugolds on base. She surrendered four hits and walked two.
Thomas led all hitters, going 3-for-3 for with two runs scored. Francois was 3-for-4 with a run scored. The Blue Devils stranded 13 runners, three times leaving the bases loaded.
Eau Claire, in contrast stranded three runners, and all of those came in the fourth inning. Wood allowed one of her two walks to start the inning, but Eau Claire hit into a double play. The Blugolds got their two-run home run two players later and looked like they were getting to Wood, loading the bases. But Wood forced a groundout to herself to end the inning.
The Blugolds had swept Stout, 5-0, 9-1, exactly a week ago in Menomonie.
In the second game, the high scoring Warhawks continued their high-flying ways, running out to a 10-0 lead before Stout scored in the fourth inning when Francois hit a solo home run.
Whitewater scored four in the first, five in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth. Whitewater tallied 15 hits to Stout's five. Francois and Diedrich both collected two hits. The Warhawks had seven players with at least two hits.
The Blue Devils will the winner of the UW-Eau Claire/UW-Oshkosh game Saturday at noon.
WIAC Softball Championship Schedule
Friday, May 5
Game 1--UW-Stout (#5) 8, UW-Eau Claire (#4) 3
Game 2--UW-La Crosse (#2) 5, UW-Oshkosh (#3), 2
Game 3--UW-Whitewater (#1) 12, UW-Stout 1 (5 inn)
Game 4--UW-Oshkosh 9, UW-Eau Claire 1 (6 inn)
Saturday, May 6
Game 5--UW-La Crosse vs. UW-Whitewater, 10:00 a.m.
Game 6--UW-Oshkosh vs. UW-Stout, Noon
Game 7--Game 6 Winner vs. Game 5 Loser, 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 7
Game 8--Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, 10:00 a.m.
Game 9--If necessary – If Game 7 Winner wins Game 8, Noon
