Eau Claire drops pair of games Friday
Blugolds now losers of four consecutive outings dating back to April 24
Jacob McCormick
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Sports
Going 0-4 in doubleheaders against UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh wasn't the way UW-Eau Claire softball coach Leslie Huntington wanted the team to end the regular season. But Huntington said the team is building off its never-give-up mentality and strong hitting heading into the WIAC conference tournament.
"We definitely saw positive things among the losses and are hoping to transfer them into this weekend," Huntington said. "Never letting down, never giving up despite being behind, continuing to swing the bats well … we had 18 hits in two games."
Even in the losses, the Blugold pitchers have kept the games close, and the defense has looked good at times, Huntington said.
"We're getting some good defensive plays, but it's still inconsistent for us," she said. "We've had bright spots from our pitchers. We just have to support that with our defense and bats."
The 18th-ranked Blugolds lost two close games against Oshkosh 7-4 and 5-4 Tuesday afternoon. The games were very significant for the team because they were the difference between a second and fourth seed in this weekend's tournament.
Oshkosh ended the season with an 11-5 WIAC record, compared to Eau Claire's 10-6 finish, and leapfrogged the Blugolds to take the third seed. As the fourth seed, Eau Claire will face fifth-seeded UW-River Falls Friday in Superior.
In the series against the Titans, sophomore Sara Baumgartner tallied four hits in seven at-bats, drove in two runs and stole a base. Freshman Jenny Janke went 4-for-6 with three RBIs. Although the Blugolds never held a lead in the first game, they took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Titans put two runs on the board to take a permanent 5-4 lead.
Tuesday's results put a damper on Eau Claire's postseason plans. Huntington said the team was aiming to start the tournament on the opposite side of the bracket from Whitewater but may face the top-seeded Warhawks in the second round if they beat the Falcons.
"If we would've swept Oshkosh we'd be on the opposite side of the bracket, not next to Whitewater," she said. "We could face them right away on Friday, which ideally is not what we wanted."
However, Huntington is optimistic heading into the tournament because the postseason allows the team a chance to wipe the slate clean.
"It's a new season," she said. "We're just going to play the best we can, and if our best is good enough to win the tournament, that's what will happen. If not, we'll move on and look forward to next season."
"We definitely saw positive things among the losses and are hoping to transfer them into this weekend," Huntington said. "Never letting down, never giving up despite being behind, continuing to swing the bats well … we had 18 hits in two games."
Even in the losses, the Blugold pitchers have kept the games close, and the defense has looked good at times, Huntington said.
"We're getting some good defensive plays, but it's still inconsistent for us," she said. "We've had bright spots from our pitchers. We just have to support that with our defense and bats."
The 18th-ranked Blugolds lost two close games against Oshkosh 7-4 and 5-4 Tuesday afternoon. The games were very significant for the team because they were the difference between a second and fourth seed in this weekend's tournament.
Oshkosh ended the season with an 11-5 WIAC record, compared to Eau Claire's 10-6 finish, and leapfrogged the Blugolds to take the third seed. As the fourth seed, Eau Claire will face fifth-seeded UW-River Falls Friday in Superior.
In the series against the Titans, sophomore Sara Baumgartner tallied four hits in seven at-bats, drove in two runs and stole a base. Freshman Jenny Janke went 4-for-6 with three RBIs. Although the Blugolds never held a lead in the first game, they took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Titans put two runs on the board to take a permanent 5-4 lead.
Tuesday's results put a damper on Eau Claire's postseason plans. Huntington said the team was aiming to start the tournament on the opposite side of the bracket from Whitewater but may face the top-seeded Warhawks in the second round if they beat the Falcons.
"If we would've swept Oshkosh we'd be on the opposite side of the bracket, not next to Whitewater," she said. "We could face them right away on Friday, which ideally is not what we wanted."
However, Huntington is optimistic heading into the tournament because the postseason allows the team a chance to wipe the slate clean.
"It's a new season," she said. "We're just going to play the best we can, and if our best is good enough to win the tournament, that's what will happen. If not, we'll move on and look forward to next season."
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