EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (15-13, 0-6) saw rallies in both games spoiled by host UW-Eau Claire (19-7, 5-3) in league action on Saturday. The Pointers rallied for a seventh-inning lead before falling, 5-4, in game one. UWSP had the tying run at third as game two ended, again in a 5-4 defeat.
 
Sara Traxel (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) led UWSP offense with two hits in each game. She drove in two runs in game one and scored twice in game two.
 
Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community) had three hits on the day. Abby Van Beek (Mayville, Wis./Mayville) and Emmie Cibrario (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) had hits in both games.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 4, UWEC 5
Meg Lawrence (Antioch, Ill./Antioch Community) gave UWSP a lead with a solo home run to begin the third. The lead lasted until the fifth when UWEC got two runs on three hits.
 
Klicker doubled with one away in the seventh. Maddie Candre (St. Charles, Ill./East) followed with a walk. Two batters later, Jenna Eilers (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) drew a walk to load the bases. A passed ball allowed the tying run to score. Traxel then hit a two-run single to give UWSP a 4-2 lead.
 
The Pointers' big rally was spoiled with a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Van Beek struck out five in the start. She went 5.0 innings
 
Game 2 – UWSP 4, UWEC 5
After UWEC got one in the first and two in the second, Traxel began the fourth with a single. She moved to second on a groundout and scored on a single by Cibrario to cut the deficit to 3-1.
 
The Blugolds tacked on single tallies in the fourth and again in the fifth for a 5-1 lead.
 
Traxel again started a rally with a leadoff single in the sixth. Becca Geiyer (Grayslake, Ill./Warren Township) followed with a single and both moved up on a sac bunt. Delaney Kunkel (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) drove in a run with a groundout and Makenna Tkach (Streator, Ill./Marquette Academy) hit an RBI single as UWSP got within 5-3.
 
In the seventh, Van Beek singled with one down. Geiyer and Cibrario drew two-out walks to load the bases. A wild pitch moved all three runners as UWSP got within one, but the tying run remained at third as the game ended.
 
The Pointers will host UW-Platteville on Tuesday (April 26) in the home opener. First pitch of the twin bill is set for 2:00 p.m. at McCarty Memorial Field.