In equestrian sports the saying is, "you get a good horse and ride it". UW-Whitewater is using that formula in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III World Series, defeating Louisiana College 2-1 Monday afternoon at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia, to advance to the national title game. UW-Whitewater, 39-10, will face fellow Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member UW-Eau Claire, 35-11, at 1:30 today (Monday). Because Eau Claire has not lost in this double elimination tournament and Whitewater is 4-1, the two teams will meet again Tuesday if Whitewater wins today. UW-Whitewater's post-season site.
Box Score
Post-game press conference
Jessica Stang, the co-Pitcher of the Year in the WIAC, has raised her game to another level in a string of pitching performances for the ages. The freshman lefty allowed five hits and one run in seven innings, also striking out thirteen batters to tie the record held with Dana Jakoubek (May 3, 2003 versus UW-Platteville). Stang continues to add to her season record for K's, now with 161 in 151 innings.
Junior righthander McCaslin Carson matched Stang through five innings, with both offenses putting up goose eggs on the scoreboard. LC threatened in the fourth, loading the bases, but Stang struck out the next two batters and ended the inning with a comebacker that she tossed to first.
The Lady Wildcats finally broke the drought in the sixth, with Erica Harwell leading off with a single and Carson helping her cause with a RBI double.
Whitewater came back in the bottom of the inning, employing their specialty. With one out, junior centerfileder Amy Gahl doubled to right center field. The hit gave Gahl 70 for the season, breaking the school record of 69 previously set by Valerie Kerkman in 1999. After a ground out that moved Gahl to third, junior rightfielder Suzanne Gersich hit Carson's first offering to her well beyond the left field fence for a 2-1 lead. Gersich has twelve home runs this season, tied for second (behind teammate Amanda LeBeau) in the UW-W season record book.
Stang retired the side 1-2-3 in the seventh to up her record to 16-5. Stang has pitched 34 innings in the tournament (all except one inning), allowing just three earned runs and striking out 33.
Carson, 18-4, took the loss for the Lady Wildcats, despite giving up just four hits.
Louisiana College, the number one seed in the tourney, ended the year 44-7.
UW-Whitewater opened the double elimination series with a 5-4 loss to New York-Cortland Friday. The Warhawks came back to defeat Rhode Island College 4-1 Saturday. UW-W stayed alive with two wins Sunday, 5-3 over Muskingum College and 4-0 over Ithaca College.
