The club baseball team delivered a double-beating to Marquette Saturday evening after a win Friday night.
Friday night’s game versus Marquette ended in an Eau Claire win with a score of 7-3. Seniors Curt Hartfiel and Chip Marty both went 3-for-4, while sophomores Justin Musil and Jordan Krause each went 2-for-3.
The team then faced Marquette again in a double header Saturday at Carson Park. The first game, which began at 4 p.m., lasted 6 and a half of the scheduled 7 innings and led to a final score of 6-3, with Eau Claire on top.
Friday Eau Claire 7 Marquette 3 Saturday |
Hartfiel, senior Jay Hebert and freshman Andrew Campbell all went 2-for-3. Eau Claire’s freshman pitcher, Andy Minga pitched a complete game, receiving the win.
“It was a great game,” Minga said. “I was throwing strikes, and I had a great defense behind me. We played well as a team, and I was satisfied with the outcome.”
In the second game of the doubleheader, Eau Claire jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Hartfiel led off the bottom of the first with a homerun. Hebert and Marty both singled, and senior Tucker Emerson drove them in with a single.
Eau Claire led 3-2 after the first and never looked back, winning the game 11-7. Eau Claire’s sophomore pitcher Kent Letnes received the win. Marty led the team going 4-for-4. Emerson and Hebert were 2-for-4 and Hartfiel was 2-for-5.
Eau Claire’s overall record now stands at 8-2, with a record of 7-1 in the Western Lakes Conference.
This season, Eau Claire is in a new conference, bringing more challenging competition, as well as more opportunities to advance further as the season progresses.
The team is very optimistic of the outcome of the season, Hartfiel said. The team is keeping its fingers crossed for the crucial games that are approaching fast.
“We’re on a roll right now,” Hartfiel said.
“We have a lot of experience and the younger guys are stepping up for us right now,” he said. “We’ve got a great team and great fans standing behind us, and if we keep things going, we could be heading to nationals in Florida.”
Last year, Eau Claire finished first in their conference. They beat out Marquette in the championship game.
If they win this season, they earn a spot in regionals for a chance to participate in the national championship tournament.
If successful, the team will be playing baseball in the warm Florida weather.
“We must have done something right,” junior Dan Powers said. “Everyone seems to be working well together and things are going great.”
The next game is a series versus Whitewater for first place. It is scheduled for noon this Friday at Carson Park.