Eagles Split Doubleheader at Third-Ranked UW-Eau Claire

For Immediate Release: Saturday, April 4, 2009

Eau Claire, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse softball team split its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader at third-ranked UW-Eau Claire Saturday afternoon at Gelein Field. UW-Eau Claire took the opener, 10-8, while UW-L came back to win the nightcap, 4-3.

The Eagles are now 17-7 overall and 2-2 in the WIAC while the Blugolds are 17-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference. UW-Eau Claire is ranked in this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top-25 Poll.

In the opener, the Blugolds scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead before the Eagles scored three times in the top of the second to lead 3-2. Katie Pietrowiak hit a two-run home run for UW-L to tie the contest and Kelsey Golackson scored on Rachel Weyer's fielder's choice to make it 3-2. UW-Eau Claire came right back and scored twice in the bottom of the second and Aleisha Harper and Bekki Kidnie had RBI singles.

Katie Pietrowiak

The Blugolds took a 7-4 lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Eagles cut the lead to 7-6 in the fifth as Pietrowiak and Golackson each had run-scoring singles. UW-Eau Claire added a run in the fifth, but Natalie Stoll had a two-run single for UW-L in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 8-8. Kaity Acker gave UW-Eau Claire a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the sixth with a pinch-hit double to score a run and Harper finished the scoring with an RBI single.

Heather Schultz (7-4) took the loss for UW-L, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs (four earned) and six walks with six strikeouts. Kaylyn Von Glahn went 0.1 of an inning, alloing three hits and three runs (one earned). Pietrowiak finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored while Jenna Ahnen, Katie Keyes, Stoll and Mary Buvala also had two hits each. Ahnen scored three runs.

Jenny Ross (8-1) earned the victory for UW-Eau Claire, pitching 5.0 innings in relief. She allowed nine hits, four runs and one walk with three strikeouts. Harper was 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI while Kidnie finished 3-for-4 with four RBI.

UW-L took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third in the nightcap as Keyes had a run-scoring bunt single. The Eagles led 4-0 after scoring three times in the fifth. Rachel Croak stole home and Pietrowiak and Beth Schmidt both had an RBI single. UW-Eau Claire scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 4-3, but the Blugolds did not get a runner on base in the seventh.

Jenna Ahnen

Lacey Probst (5-1) earned the win for the Eagles, going 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits, three runs and one walk. Schultz went 1.1 innings with three strikeouts and picked up her first save of the season. Ahnen finished 3-for-3 with a run scored while Croak was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Ashley Meinen (4-2) suffered the loss for UW-Eau Claire, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs while striking out one. Katie Stalker had two hits.

UW-L returns to action Wednesday, April 8 at UW-Platteville at 3 p.m.