Notables
-Eau Claire ranked No. 15 in this week's NFCA Division III poll
-CSS out-hit the Blugolds in both games
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against No. 15 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Sunday.
Game 1: UWEC 2, CSS 0
The first game of the day saw a pitcher's duel between St. Scholastica's
Chrisi Mizera (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East HS) and Eau Claire's Lauren Blasczyk. Both teams combined for only five hits in the contest, but it was a two-run fourth inning by the Blugolds that proved to be the difference.
It was walks that hurt Mizera in that fourth inning as the ball did not leave the infield in the inning. The Saints walked the bases loaded with two outs and then an infield single got the first run across. A bases loaded walk forced the second run in to make it 2-0 Blugolds.
CSS then had runners at second and third with two outs in the fifth. After an intentional walk to
Alexa Bremer (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake HS) loaded the bases, the Saints left all three runners on base because of a strikeout. The Saints could not get any offense going after that, falling 2-0.
Mizera allowed only two hits, but walked six batters in the loss.
Game 2: UWEC 7, CSS 5
The nightcap saw the Saints try to put together a seventh-inning rally, but come up short 7-5.
CSS scored its first run of the day and took its first lead when
Jena O'Byrne (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville HS) doubled in
Maggie Schley (Mounds View, Minn./Irondale HS) to make it 1-0 in the top of the fourth.
However, that lead was short-lived as the Blugolds scored two in the bottom frame, one of which being a solo home run to make it 2-1. It was the long ball again in the fifth with a two-run home run to extend the margin to 4-1. An error came back to haunt the Saints in the sixth as three unearned runs came across to make it 7-1.
After a quick out in the seventh, the Saints drew a walk and then had back-to-back singles to load the bases. A passed ball followed that allowed
Cindi Rydlund (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) to score to make it 7-2. An Eau Claire error allowed two more CSS runs to score as it was now a 7-4 game.
Two batters later
Marjaana Dailey (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) hit a sacrifice fly to bring in
Samantha Clark (Brule, Wis/Northwestern HS) to cut the margin to two. Following another single, St. Scholastica had the go-ahead run at the plate, but went down looking to spoil the comeback attempt 7-5.
Bremer and Schley each went 3-for-4 at the plate to pace the 13-hit attack.
Vanessa Kohl (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) went 5.2 innings in the loss. Evie Schaller of Eau Claire (23-9) went 4-for-4 with four RBIs.
Up Next
The Saints (18-14) return to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Northland College. The first game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. at Kenwood Field.
