UW-Oshkosh 9, UW-Stout 3 | UW-Stout 5, UW-River Falls 5 (7 inn) |
WIAC Softball Championship
WHITEWATER (May 4, 2018) - A 9-3 first round loss to UW-Oshkosh dropped UW-Stout into an elimination game on the first day of the WIAC Softball Championship at UW-Whitewater.
But a run in the bottom of the seventh tied that elimination game at 5-5 with UW-River Falls and the game was suspended due to darkness in Whitewater. The game will resume Saturday, May 5 at 9 a.m.
In the suspended game, Stout scored two runs in the second inning, but River Falls scored a run in the second, then took a 4-2 lead with a three-run third. The Blue Devils cut the lead to 4-3. Both teams scored a run in the fifth inning to make the game 5-4. The Blue Devils tied the game when
Melea Bruns drove in
Rachel Thomas on a sacrifice fly to center field. The Blue Devils left two on in the seventh.
In the loss to Oshkosh, the Titans took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Stout stormed back to take the lead with a three-run fourth inning. Bruns smashed a two-run home run to left field and Thomas drove in AJ Klosterman, who had reached on a single.
The Titans went on to score seven unanswered runs, with two in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-3 lead, then jumped on Blue Devil pitching for five runs in the sixth inning for what would prove to be the final score. The Titans laced two doubles and a triple in the inning.
Murphy was 2-for-3 to lead Stout. Bruns was 1-for-3 the two-shot dinger, her first collegiate home run.
Kaitlyn Krol was 2-for-4 with three RBI and Claire Petrus was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Brianna Witter was 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Beth Wood started for the Blue Devils, but left after the first inning after giving up two runs, giving way to Bruns who would throw the next four. Bruns became the pitcher of record after Stout took the lead in the fourth inning. Bruns was saddled with the loss after the Titans regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Wood returned to finish the final inning.
Bailey Smaney gave up three earned runs over 3.1 inning, but Claire Petrus came on to work the final 3.2 innings, allowing two hits and no runs to earn the win.
