Pointers' Thrilling Run in WIAC Tournament Falls One Game Short

Oshkosh - They laid in the outfield motionless for nearly 15 minutes, pondering what had just been an incredible day of softball.

But, more than likely, they were just too exhausted to leave the field and finally go home.

After four grueling games and over 10 hours of softball, Saturday finally came to an end for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point softball team with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to UW-Eau Claire in the championship game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

"They’re exhausted," Pointers’ coach Kelli Harms said following the title game at 8 p.m. after arriving at the field at about 8:30 a.m. "I don’t know how they did it, but somehow, someway they found a way."

What the Pointers did was win four consecutive games, including three Saturday, while battling through the losers’ bracket after a tourney-opening loss to UW-Platteville Friday.

UW-Stevens Point opened the day with a 5-1 win over UW-La Crosse, switched to another diamond, then eliminated UW-Whitewater 3-1, moved back to the main diamond, beat UW-Platteville 13-0 and finally lost to UW-Eau Claire 1-0. The Pointers outscored the four opponents 21-3 for the day.

"It’s amazing," Harms said. "They played with so much character and heart. I’m very proud of the way they played today."

Even more amazing is that the Pointers accomplished the feat with just two pitchers – Jamie Lowney and Karen Guckenberger, who each threw 20 innings for the weekend. Guckenberger gave up just one earned run and Lowney allowed three, including the only run of the title game.

UW-Eau Claire scored its run in the top of the first inning when Karri Meinen led off with a single, was bunted to second, and scored on a one-out single by Lisa Schueler. The Blugolds didn’t get another hit until the sixth inning and had just six for the game.

"Lowney was outstanding today," Harms said. "That was probably the best game she’s ever pitched."

Meanwhile, the Pointers couldn’t manage much offense against Blugolds’ pitcher Heidi Bergstrom, who finished with a four-hitter and did not allow a single run in 23 1/3 innings in the tournament. Three different innings UW-Stevens Point had two runners on base, but failed to score as it missed out on earning its fourth NCAA Division III tournament berth in five years.

Lowney was also outstanding against UW-Whitewater, pitching four scoreless innings before giving way to Guckenberger for the save. Lowney gave up four hits and her victory was her school record-tying 38^th of her four-year career.

Sophomore Kimberly Grubba gave the Pointers a 1-0 lead with her first career homer in the third. The Pointers added two more runs in the fourth inning and held off the Warhawks, ranked ninth in Division III, for the win.

Against UW-Platteville, the Pointers scored 11 of their 13 runs after two outs, including a pair of bases-clearing doubles by Sarah Berg, who finished two-for-four with six RBI’s. Nikki Best also had hits in each inning and Stacy Karls had three RBI singles as Guckenberger pitched her sixth shutout of the season to finish the year 17-3.

In the opening game with UW-La Crosse, the Pointers trailed 1-0 in the third inning, but rallied with a run in the third inning and two more in the fourth. Michelle Gerber, who was seven-for-12 for the day, hit a towering two-run homer in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. Cari Briley was also four-for-four and Guckenberger earned the win in relief.

"It’s never easy to go down," Harms said. "But they played with all they had left. It really was an amazing day."

Saturday’s scores: UW-Stevens Point 5, UW-La Crosse 1 (LC eliminated); UW-Platteville 3, UW-River Falls 2, 9 innings (RF eliminated); UW-Eau Claire 2, UW-Whitewater 0; UW-Platteville 4, UW-Eau Claire 1; UW-Stevens Point 3, UW-Whitewater 1 (WW eliminated); UW-Stevens Point 13, UW-Platteville 0 (PLT eliminated); UW-Eau Claire 1, UW-Stevens Point 0 (EC wins championship).

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