Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

EAU CLAIRE – With a wind chill of 23-degrees, the UW-Stevens Point softball team dropped a pair of games to No. 11 UW-Eau Claire, losing game one 10-5 and game two 12-4 in five innings today at Gelein Field.

The Pointers drop to a record of 21-9 overall and 6-6 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The Blugolds improve to 25-7 overall and 10-2 in conference action.

The Pointers got on the scoreboard first in game one as Laura Van Abel (Kaukauna/Kaukauna) (Sr.-Kaukauna) got on with a leadoff single and eventually came around to score to make the score 1-0 Stevens Point. However the Blugolds scored six runs in the bottom frame to take a 6-1 lead.

Stevens Point scored two runs in the top of the fourth on a pair of Eau Claire errors to cut the lead to 6-3. After the Blugolds got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, the Pointers added two more runs in the top of the fifth thanks to defensive mistakes by the Blugolds to make the score 7-5. However, the Blugolds got a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth as part of a three-run inning to make it 10-5. The score did not change the rest of the way as the Blugolds took game one.

The Pointers had just five hits in the first game, three of which coming from Danielle Ashbeck (Wabeno/Wabeno) (Sr.-Wabeno).

Eau Claire jumped out to a 9-0 lead in game two. Stevens Point got four runs in the top of the fifth as Chelsea McIlquham (Sun Prairie/Sun Prairie) (Sr.-Sun Prairie) hit a RBI single and Elyse Nelson (Batavia, IL/Batavia) (Fr.-Batavia, IL) hit a three-run home run that cleared both fences to cut the score to 9-4. However, the Blugolds got three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to win by a score of 12-4.

Kim Liegel (Fr.-Madison/LaFollette) was 2-for-3 to lead the Stevens Point offense.

The Pointers will be in Eau Claire again tomorrow when they host UW-Superior for a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to begin at noon at Hobbs Field in Carson Park.