UW-Eau Claire 4, UW-Stout 0 |
UW-Stout 7, UW-Eau Claire 3
EAU CLAIRE (April 25, 2018) - After a flat start to the day, UW-Stout bounced back to take the second game of the day and earn a split at UW-Eau Claire, losing the first, 4-0, but winning the second 7-3 Wednesday at Bollinger Fields.
Stout could not generate any real offense in the first game after stranding two runners in the first inning, but the Blue Devils (19-6, 7-3 WIAC) certainly did in the second game.
Both teams scored two runs in the opening inning of the nightcap, Stout scoring on RBIs by
Kyncaide Diedrich and
Renee Murphy to go up 2-0. But Stout left the bases loaded in the inning and Eau Claire (18-12, 5-3 WIAC) came back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning, knocking out 11 hits.
The Blue Devils made it 3-2 in the second inning when
Beth Wood sliced a single to left field, driving in
Rachel Thomas, who led off the inning with a single.
The Blugolds knotted the score in the fourth inning when Katie Rongstad singled in a run.
Then, the Blue Devil offense caught fire in the sixth inning, scoring four runs.
Kaylee Francois hit a one-out single, then moved to second when
Mary Iliopoulos reached on an error. Wood loaded the bases with a single and
Melea Bruns delivered a pinch hit double down the right field line to drive in two runs to extend the lead to 5-2. Following a pop-up out, freshman
Renee Murphy singled to drive in two runs for what would be the final score.
The Blugolds threatened in the sixth, but
Sommer Kunstmann, who would go the distance for Stout, stranded runners on second and third, getting the final out of the inning on a strike out. The Blugolds went down in order in the seventh to end the game. Kunstmann struck out three and allowed eight hits to get her third win of the season.
Murphy was 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Wood finished at 2-for-4. The Blugolds' Rongstad and Mikayla McEnery each had two hits.
In the first game, Stout finished with five hits, with Iliopoulos going 2-for-3. Gretchen Arneson and Sarah Peka each had two hits for Eau Claire, with Arneson driving in two runs. Peka took the win, striking out three, while Wood was saddled with only her second loss of the season, striking out two.
Stout left Bollinger Fields alone in second place in the WIAC.
Stout will be at UW-Oshkosh, Friday, April 27, then return home to close out the WIAC schedule by hosting UW-Stevens Point, Saturday, April 28.
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