Box Score
photo gallery (courtesy of Crystal Meyer)
UW-Eau Claire evened the season series at 2-2, but it won't feel like that for UW-Whitewater, with a 4-0 win over UW-W in the Whitewater Regional of the NCAA III tournament at van Steenderen Field Saturday. Eau Claire and Whitewater split a doubleheader in Whitewater April 27, and Whitewater defeated the Blugolds in the WIAC Tournament championship game.
Whitewater's Katie Boyle and Eau Claire's Emma Wishau were dominant in the first three innings, Boyle allowing no hits and Wishau just one. That changed in the fourth, when Abby Hansen singled and senior first baseman Sarah Fern followed with her third home run of the season to give UW-EC a 2-0 lead. Whitewater loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, Wishau and the Blugolds wriggled out of trouble. Eau Claire manufactured another pair of runs in the top of the sixth, combining two hits with a hit batter, a passed ball, and a Whitewater error for the 4-0 lead. UW-W had a runner on in the sixth and two on in the seventh, but Wishau preserved the shutout.
Wishau, 10-3, gave up five hits, walked two and struck out two. Whitewater's Katie Boyle, 17-4, went six innings, yielding three earned runs on seven hits, with two walks and three strikeouts. Bekka Houda pitched the scoreless seventh for UW-W. Hansen, a freshman centerfielder, went 3x4 to lead all batters.
UW-Eau Claire, 28-8, will face the winner of Carthage-Illinois Wesleyan at 5:00 Saturday. Whitewater ends the season with a 32-7 record.
