University of St. Thomas Athletics
UW-Eau Claire
Softball gets close sweep of No. 6 Eau Claire
3/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The 10th-ranked St. Thomas softball team got clutch game-ending outs to sweep Sunday's doubleheader from No. 6-ranked UW-Eau Claire at the Rosemount Dome. The Tommies won 4-3 and 7-6 to move to 4-0 on the season.
St. Thomas never trailed on the day as it had 23 hits in 13 innings at the plate. But the Toms stranded 19 runners on base -- 12 in game two.
The Tommies, who have won 36 consecutive regular-season games, have won 21 in a row in the Rosemount Dome since an 8-7 loss to Eau Claire in 2005.
The Toms got home runs from Maria Bye, Morgan Betker and Alison Wright and had four-hit days from Wright and Kaitlyn Wightman, and three-hit days from Betker, Missy Brueggeman and Olivia Graham.
Bye now has 26 career home runs -- tied for second in MIAC's all-time list.
The Toms led 7-3 in the nightcap before the Blugolds (4-2) erupted for three runs. A one-out throwing error scored two runs. With the tying and go-ahead runner on and one out, Olivia Graham made a slick play at third to throw out a batter at first for the second out. Starter Marta Radcliffe used an intentional walk to load the bases then got a game-ending strikeout to cap the tense victory. Radcliffe fanned six, walked five and allowed three earned runs and eight hits.
In game one, Bye went the distance and allowed one earned run, two walks and six hits with five strikeouts. After a one-out walk put the tying run on in the seventh inning, the Toms got a game-ending double play on a liner to first baseman Fiona Lodge, who stepped on first to double off the runner.
Eau Claire had started the weekend with doubleheader sweeps of expected MIAC contenders St. Mary's and Gustavus.
In its first four games, St. Thomas is batting .375 with seven homers among its 45 hits.
St. Thomas plays 10 games in California on spring break starting next Saturday.
Click here for box scores:
Game 1:
http://www.tommiesports.com/sftbl/stats/3-9-GM1.htm
Game 2:
