The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team fell to UW-Stevens Point 3-2 the semifinal of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at the van Steenderen Softball Complex Saturday.
The Warhawks will await a possible at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament to be annnounced during the selection show Monday at noon.
UWW, the visiting team despite hosting the tournament, took the early lead plating two runs in the top of the first.
Krista Sbarra (West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East) drew a leadoff walk to open the game. With one out,
Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) tagged a double off the fence in left field. As Sbarra cruised around the bases, the left fielder's throw to the cutoff caromed off of the shortstop's glove and went out of play. The umpires signaled as Wickman was nearly to third when the ball left the field of play, granting the UWW third baseman home for an early 2-0 lead.
That score held until the bottom of the fourth when UWSP tied it up. Back-to-back one-out singles followed by a stolen base put two Pointers on in scoring position. Another single plated the first UWSP run of the game. An error later in the inning knotted the game 2-2.
Stevens Point threatened in the bottom of the sixth but
Brooke Hock (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) and Warhawk defense got out of the bases loaded jam without allowing a run.
With two outs in the top of the seventh,
Taylor Koehler (Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda) reached on a Pointer miscue to extend the inning and
Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) capitalized tagging a double to left center. UWSP got out of the jam to send the game into the bottom of the seventh.
A single, wild pitch and sacrifice put the winning run 60-feet away for the Pointers. The Warhawks made a defensive change in the outfield and in the next at bat, a long fly ball found UWW's new fielder.
Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) caught and threw a dart home but it wasn't in time to get the runner from third.
Kostroski led the UWW offense with a pair of hits. Hock suffered the loss allowing two hits and a single run in 1.2 innings of work.
Maddy Anderson (Waukesha, Wis./North) had the start and struck out five, scattering five hits across five innings of work.
The Warhawks are 26-11 on the season. UW-La Crosse went on to defeat UWSP to win the tournament title and the WIAC's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
