UW-L Eliminated from WIAC Tournament

For Immediate Release: Saturday, May 3, 2008

Stevens Point, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse softball team was eliminated from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament Saturday night with a 15-4 loss to UW-Platteville. The Eagles, the tournament's sixth-seed, fell 11-3 in six innings in their first game of the day against UW-Eau Claire.

UW-L ends its season at 22-19. It marks the third straight year the Eagles have been eliminated on the first day of the league tournament.

Versus UW-Platteville, UW-L scored a run in each of the first four frames, but the Pioneers scored six times in the fourth to lead 7-4 after four innings. Tera Burr and Bridgette Clark each had two-run singles in the fourth while Dru Schneider had a two-run home run. UW-Platteville then scored four runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings.

Heather Schultz (7-8) suffered the loss for the Eagles, going 5.0 innings, allowing one hit, three runs (two earned) and seven walks with three strikeouts. Shelly Monahan allowed three hits, four runs and one walk without getting an out while Kaylyn Von Glahn and Cassie Huettl each pitched 1.0 inning. Von Glahn gave up three hits, four runs (three earned) and one walk while striking out one while Huettl allowed two hits, four runs and two runs with two strikeouts.

Rachel Weyer was 2-for-4 for UW-L while Jenna Ahnen scored twice.

Katie Sutter (5-7) picked up the win for the Pioneers, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing one hit, one run and three walks while striking out five. The top-four batters in the UW-Platteville line-up each drove in two runs while the Pioneers' fifth-place hitter, Lindsay Weigand, had four RBI.

UW-Eau Claire took a 3-0 lead after the first inning in its win over UW-L as the Blugolds scored two unearned runs. The Eagles cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the second on Cara Salm's solo home run, but the Blugolds scored twice in the bottom of the inning to lead 5-1 on Tamara Zeman's two-run double.

Liz Bradley had an RBI single in the top of third for UW-L and Weyer drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the fourth to make it 5-3, but UW-Eau Claire tallied six times in the bottom of the sixth to end the game, including five unearned runs. Jenny Ross had a two-run double for the Blugolds.

Jess Iwanski (4-2) took the loss for UW-L, going 1.1 innings, allowing four hits, five runs (three earned) and two walks. Von Glahn went 4.1 innings, allowing six hits, six runs (one earned) and three walks while striking out two. Kim Pietrowiak was 3-for-3 at the plate for the Eagles while Mary Buvala finished 2-for-3.

Ross (17-1) earned the win for UW-Eau Claire, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing nine hits, three runs and one walk with six strikeouts. Jill Janke was 3-for-4 for the Blugolds with a run scored and two RBI while Zeman and Ross each finished with two RBI.