Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) powered two homers and Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka) pitched a complete game to lift the Warhawk softball team past UW-Superior 6-4 on Saturday in the first game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.  UW-W improves to 28-13 with the win.

Box score
Conference Tournament website
Photo gallery (Gallery contains pictures from day one of the WIAC tournament.)

The game was tied at three after four innings before the 'Hawks took a one run lead in the bottom of the fifth on a Cruz homer and added two more in the bottom of the sixth to go up 6-3.

Superior came to bat in the top of the seventh hoping to tie things or take the lead but their first batter was retired by Stang with a strikeout.  The next three Yellowjacket batters hit singles with a run scoring on the final one.  Stang buckled down and got the final two batters to ground out, one to her and the other to the second baseman, to end the game

Cruz was 2-for-4 in the game with three RBIs while teammate Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) helped out by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.  Stang went the distance, walking one and striking out four, to improve to 14-6.

UW-W advances to play UW-Eau Claire at 2:00 pm at the Oshkosh Sports Complex.  The tournament uses a double-elimination format with the winner receiving and automatic berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III National Tournament.

For additional information, Brenda Volk