The UW-Eau Claire softball team played in their first WIAC doubleheader of the season against UW-Stevens Point on Saturday, April 12 at Rapids Area Sports Complex. The result was a 7-6 win in the first game and a 4-0 loss in the second game.
Head Coach Leslie Huntington said the team prepared for the game by watching videos of game play and looking at stats and other information about the opposing team.
“One of the things my assistant coach did an outstanding job of was preparing how to pitch to their hitters,” Huntington said. “We worked on that in practice, so our pitchers went into (Saturday’s) games basically having pitched to them.”
In the top of the first inning of game one, fourth-year outfielder Kenna Strunsee scored the Blugolds’ first run. They held the Pointers 1-0 through the entire first inning. However, in the bottom of the second inning, the Pointers scored three runs, leaving the Blugolds in a two-run deficit.
To even the score, second-year catcher Molly Marquardt hit a two-run homer in the top of the third inning, allowing herself and Strunsee to score. The teams remained tied until the top of the sixth inning, when third-year pitcher and infielder Hailey Hagedorn hit a single homer.
Both the Blugolds and the Pointers scored three runs in the seventh inning, but the Blugolds came out on top with a 7-6 win for the first game.
“In the first game, I thought we attacked offensively really well,” Huntington said. “We hit the ball hard, had a bunch of hits. Overall, I think we played pretty solid defense. We made good decisions … Our pitchers threw pretty well.”
Megan Patterson is a fourth-year secondary education student and a catcher for the team who recently received the WIAC Softball Athlete of the Week award. Patterson complimented the team’s communication and energy throughout the game.
“Going into the games, the team was super energetic and excited,” Patterson said. “Opening conference on the road is tough, but we all had a great mindset and a drive to win.”
In game two, however, the Pointers held the Blugolds to three hits total and zero runs. The Pointers scored two runs in the fourth inning and another two runs in the sixth inning.
Huntington said the Blugolds got away from their offense in the second game.
“We swung at some pitches that I think we should’ve been a little more disciplined with,” Huntington said. “They held us to three hits in game two, and we’re a pretty good hitting team, so that was a little disappointing.”
The Blugolds were able to get a runner to a scoring position twice throughout the game, but the Pointers shut them down. The second game ended with a 4-0 win for the Pointers, splitting the doubleheader.
Patterson said that focusing on the good parts of the game will allow the team to stay motivated for the rest of the season.
“Our main goal is always to go 1-0, whether we win or lose the game before,” Patterson said. “That has been our mindset all season, so that really helps us to move on and put the previous game behind us no matter what. We always want to come back and re-prove ourselves from the game before.”
The Blugolds, now with a season score of 19-7, will continue playing WIAC doubleheaders until the tournament begins in early May. Their next game is at 3 p.m. on April 16 at Bollinger Fields, where they will host UW-La Crosse.
“Overall, game one was a total team win and game two was a team loss, so we’ll use the lessons and get better this week and get ready for La Crosse on Wednesday,” Huntington said.
Matczak can be reached at [email protected].
