UW-Oshkosh Secures Softball Championship

OSHKOSH, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh secured the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Softball Championship (presented by Culver’s) with a 4-0 victory over UW-Whitewater at the UW-Oshkosh Softball Park on May 16.

The tournament title is the second in program history (2008) for the Titans (24-11), who also received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship with the win. The game was the third in a two-of-three championship series that featured a split in the first two games on May 15. UW-Oshkosh won game one 2-1 in eight innings, and UW-Whitewater (29-10) claimed game two by a 9-0 margin in six innings.

Maddie Fink pitched a six-hit shutout and the Titans gave Fink the only run she needed on a two-out single by Morgan Rau that plated Acacia Tupa in the top of the first inning.

Fink, who tossed her WIAC-leading fourth shutout and 13th complete game, did not allow a runner past second base the entire game on the way to winning her seventh consecutive decision.

The Titans tacked on insurance runs during the second, fifth and seventh frames as Gabby Buikema delivered a two-out single that scored Ana Iliopoulos for a 2-0 advantage. Hannah Ritter added a single that scored Amanda Mc Ilhany in the fifth inning before Kailee Garstecki capped the scoring on a sacrifice fly that plated Mc Ilhany once again during the seventh frame.

Fink gave up a leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning but stranded the runner at second base following a flyout to end the frame. Fink limited the Warhawks to just five singles the rest of the way.
UW-Whitewater, which suffered its second shutout loss of the year, went until the seventh inning before advancing another into scoring position after collecting a leadoff single and a two-out single. However, Fink coaxed a routine ground ball to Natalie Dudek at shortstop to end the game, preserve the shutout and clinch a bid to the national tournament.

Fink (16-3) yielded a mere six singles and struck out three without issuing a walk.

Tupa went 2-for-4 with a stolen base for the Titans, while Mc Ilhany walked twice and scored two runs.

Warhawks starting pitcher Kate Cleveland (9-4), the first of four to enter the UW-Whitewater circle, suffered the loss after allowing two runs on four hits with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

Kaleigh O'Brien had two hits for the Warhawks.

Sunday's championship contest was the seventh meeting between UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater this year. The Titans finished the season series with a 4-3 record.

NCAA selections will be announced at noon on May 17. The 48-team Division III Championship commences with first round games May 20-21 at eight regional sites. Regional champions will then play for the national title May 27-June 1 in Salem, Va.

The Titans will be making their ninth trip to the Division III Championship and third in the past five years.

# # # # #