Blue Devils get a soggy sweep over Blugolds

UW-Stout 3, UW-Eau Claire 1 | UW-Stout 13, UW-Eau Claire 3 (7 inn)

RIVER FALLS (March 27, 2021) - James Palmer pitched eight strong innings and Alex Mahaz picked up the save in game one and UW-Stout exploded for 13 runs in the second game to earn a soggy split with UW-Eau Claire on a rainy, chilly March afternoon at First National Bank of River Falls Field Saturday.

Palmer collected his second win of the season in as many outings, going two more innings than his previous best and and set a new personal-best in collecting 10 strikeouts, one more than his last outing as he scattered four hits. Mahaz came on to earn his first save of the season, facing four batters in the ninth, striking out one and allowed a hit. 

Eau Claire (0-6) got on the board first when lead-off hitter Nate Witte tripled to open the game, then came home on a sacrifice bunt by Logan Matson. But Palmer shut the door the rest of the way, allowing no more runners past second base. 

Stout (3-3) answered back in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Charlie Szykowny walked, then came home on Joel Thimsen's home run to left field, Thimsen's first home run of the season and the second of his career, to give Stout a 2-1 lead. 

And that's the way the score would remain until the seventh inning when Kasey Bass doubled, moved to third on a groundout and came home on a balk.

It wasn't that Blue Devils didn't have opportunities to score. Stout stranded 10 runners throughout the game and left one runner stranded in every inning but one. Stout held a 7-5 advantage in hits as six Blue Devil batters recorded hits, with Colin Hageman going 2 for 4. 

In game twio, Riley Boushack drove in two unearned runs as Stout took advantage of Eau Claire miscues to get on the board first. Eau Claire cut the lead in half when catcher Cade Mueller hit a solo home run in the second inning. Stout got that run back in the bottom half of the inning. Hunter Merrill drew a two out walk, stole second, then came home on Szykowny's single to center field. 

Stout added a single run in the fourth when Levi Wilson scored on a wild pitch. Eau Claire committed two errors in the fifth and Stout made the Blugolds pay to the tune of five runs. Thimsen led off the inning with a double, then came home on Kasey Bass' left field single.  Levi Wilson sliced a double down the right field line to score two, Justin Schnell drove in a run when he reached on an error. Schnell stole second, then came home on a double by Hunter Merrill.

Stout committed two errors in the sixth inning, allowing two  Eau Claire runs to cut the lead to 9-3. The Blue Devils stretched the lead to 10 runs with a four-run sixth inning. Schnell drew a bases loaded walk, Hageman sliced a two run single through the left side and Schnell scored on Merril's fielders choice.

Eau Claire had a chance in the seventh inning to extend the lead. Will Jilek led off with a single., but was left stranded at second. Relief pitcher Dak Doyle racked up a strikeout, then forced a groundout to first. With a runner in scoring position, second baseman Levi Wilson made a solid play to plug the hole between first and second and threw out the third out from deep in the hole to seal the win. 

Stout held an 8-6 advantage in hits. Boushack led the way with two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Merrill, Wilson, Schnell and Hageman each recorded two RBI. 

Cody Urban worked 6.0 innings, striking out four, giving up three runs, but only one earned run to chalk up his first win of the season. Doyle allowed one hit and struck out one to clinch the game in the seventh inning, forcing two groundouts.

Stout will open the conference season when they travel to UW-Stevens Point, Wednesday, March 31, and hosting the Pointers, Friday, Apri. 2.