Four-team softball field set for UMAC tournament action Thursday
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) softball tournament kicked off in thrilling fashion Tuesday with a critical play-game, but the remaining four teams will look to ramp up the excitement in the double-elimination tournament set to begin Thursday in Duluth, Minnesota.
The tournament will begin with No. 2 University of Northwestern-St. Paul facing No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Superior at 2 p.m., while regular season champion No. 1 College of St. Scholastica will face No. 5 University of Minnesota Morris at 4 p.m. Minnesota Morris defeated No. 4 Crown College 11-8 Tuesday to move on in tournament play. |
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Game One |
Game Two |
No. 2 Northwestern vs. No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior, 2 p.m. |
Live Broadcast |
The No. 2 Eagles enter the tournament for the third-straight season and will face a tough task of defeating No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior for the third time in as many tries. The Yellowjackets qualified for the UMAC tournament in their first season as a UMAC member.
In the team’s regular season series, the Eagles took both games in thrilling fashion to set up what should be a closely-contested opening game of the UMAC tournament. The first game ended with a walk-off double from Kaylee Forcier in the bottom of the eighth to give the Eagles a 3-2 extra-inning victory. The Eagles then used three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take game two 4-1 for the series sweep.
The Eagles have plenty of talent to pull off another victory over the Yellowjackets. In conference play, Colleen Feldheim hit a spectacular .455 with 20 hits and 12 RBI to lead the Eagles at the plate. Ellen Larkin was also solid with a .426 average and matched Fieldheim’s hits and RBI totals. On the mound, Lauren Silbernick has been a workhorse earning eight wins in 58.2 conference innings pitched with a 1.58 earned run average (ERA).
Don’t count the Yellowjackets out, though, as the talented team managed to earn a series split with champion St. Scholastica to match Northwestern’s 13-3 conference record. The team will rely heavily on star pitcher Sarah Hendrickson who boasts a 2.05 UMAC ERA with 10 wins and nine complete games in 68.1 innings pitched. At the plate, Katie White and Ciarra Taipale will lead with .481 and .462 averages, respectively. White had 26 hits in UMAC play and Taipale boasted 24 RBI.
No. 1 St. Scholastica vs. No. 5 Minnesota Morris, 4 p.m. |
Live Broadcast |
The No. 1 Saints won their eighth-straight conference title Saturday with a sweep of No. 4 Crown. There won’t be a rematch of the final weekend, though, as No. 5 Minnesota Morris will face the defending champs after a come-from-behind win over Crown Tuesday. The Cougars make their eighth-straight tournament appearance Thursday, while the Saints will look for their third straight postseason title.
In the regular season, the Saints swept the Cougars to open the conference slate with 10-4 and 10-2 decisions. The Cougars, though, have won three-consecutive games and have had success against the Saints in tournament play taking them to the if necessary game a year ago.
The Saints boast a solid lineup from top to bottom, but no one stands out more than reigning UMAC Player of the Year Chrisi Mizera who owns seven wins and 1.58 ERA on the mound in conference games. She also boasts a .467 average and .867 slugging mark. At the plate Kara Warren has been huge hitting .544 and .974 slugging with 31 hits and 32 RBI. First-year Maggie Schley also adds power and depth at the plate and on the mound.
The Cougars enter the contest coming off a solid game offensively Tuesday. Six different players recorded at least two hits against the Storm including Bret Hulett and Magen Knickerbocker who both went 3-for-4 with two RBI each, as well as Autum Mahoney who had three RBI, two hits and two runs scored. Mahoney finished the conference season with a .647 slugging mark, 20 hits, 13 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Tournament Information
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the UMAC Softball Playoffs page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on
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2016 Tournament Page