Issued: March 20, 2003

SOFTBALL SPLITS AT SIMPSON CLASSIC

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Mallory McKinney (Fr.-Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) went five-for-six with two home runs and four RBI in her first two games as a Blugold as the UW-Eau Claire women's softball team tallied an 11-2 victory over Monmouth College (IL) and fell to 24th ranked Coe College 7-5 here today at the Simpson Classic in the Blugolds' first two games of the season.

Eau Claire's season and tournament opener against Monmouth saw the Fighting Scots score in the top of the first but the Blugolds knotted the game in the bottom of the second inning when McKinney knocked a one-out single and later scored on a Stephanie Salter (Fr.-Schofield/D.C. Everest) RBI single.

Neither team managed a hit in the third inning but the Fighting Scots regained the lead in the top of the fourth when Liz Sunday hit an RBI single off Blugold relief pitcher Molly Johnson (So.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln).

Emilee Planert (Sr.-Eau Claire/North) doubled to left-center to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning for the Blugolds before McKinney sent a deep fly to left field that cleared the fence for a two-run homer to put Eau Claire up 3-2.

Johnson pitched a hitless fifth and the Blugolds added to their lead in the bottom half of the inning, pouring on five runs with just four hits. Molly Blakewell (Jr.-Eau Claire/North) got things started with a one-out single to put a runner on for Beth Steward (Sr.-Chippewa Falls/Chi-Hi), who launched a two-run round-tripper over the left-center field wall to give Eau Claire a 5-2 lead. The Blugolds added three more in the inning, two unearned, with RBIs coming from Laura Brackey (So.-Oakdale, MN/Tartan) and Amber Haack (Fr.-Madison/La Follette).

McKinney pitched a hitless sixth in relief before the Blugolds added three more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Steward knocked a one-out double and scored on a Planert double before McKinney followed with another two-run home run, her second of the day, to put the Blugolds up 11-2. The game was called after McKinney's homer. Johnson earned the win in relief for Eau Claire.

In Eau Claire's second contest of the day, the Blugolds were held hitless the first two innings while Coe scored four runs through the first two frames. Eau Claire made it all up in the top of the third, scoring four unearned runs in the inning. With nobody on and two out, Rachel Paulus (Fr.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) reached on an error and Steph Farenbaugh (So.-Brownton, MN/McLeon West) singled, putting two runners aboard for Brackey, who came through with a two-RBI single. Steward knotted the game with one swing of the bat, sending her second home run in as many games over the fence.

The Blugolds held Coe scoreless in the bottom half of the third and took their first lead of the game in the fourth inning on a Shannon Wing (Fr.-Winona, MN) RBI double.

Eau Claire held on to the one-run advantage until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Coe put up three runs highlighted by an Ashley Frericks two-run double. The Blugolds were unable to mount a late-game rally and fell to the Kohawks 7-5.

McKinney was tagged with the loss in relief after Johnson failed to make it out of the second inning. Amy Ernst pitched all seven innings for Coe, allowing seven hits and five runs, just one earned.

Eau Claire goes to 1-1 for the season while Monmouth falls to 4-4. Coe moves to 10-6.

The Blugolds will resume action in the Simpson Classic tomorrow with a 9:00 a.m. game against eighth-ranked Warburg and a 3:00 p.m. game against 22nd-ranked Simpson.

Eau Claire-Monmouth Box Score

Eau Claire-Coe Box Score

Simpson Classic web site