Extra innings, one-run games highlight day one of 2018 UMAC softball tournament
DULUTH, Minn.---The opening day of the 2018 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) softball tournament saw three one-inning games including extras in the elimination game as No. 5 Bethany Lutheran College sent No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Superior home to open play Thursday.
Top-seeded No. 1 College of St. Scholastica and No. 3 University of Northwestern each won to advance to the winner's game Friday, while No. 4 Crown College picked up an opening game win over No. 5 Bethany Lutheran before falling to the Saints in the second game.
|
Tournament Site |
Game One |
Game Two |
Game Three |
Game Four |
Game 1 - No. 4 Crown, def. No. 5 Bethany Lutheran, 3-2 |
Box Score |
Just three days ago, No. 4 Crown and No. 5 Bethany Lutheran met in the final regular season series and split to finish 10-6 each in conference play. With those outcomes, the two landed another opportunity to play each other in the first game of the UMAC tournament after solid 2018 campaigns. In round three, Crown held off a late attack from Bethany Lutheran for a 3-2 win to send the Vikings to the elimination game and move on to face the No. 1-seeded Saints.
The Storm got started right away in the first inning with a hit from Cassidy Valenzuela who eventually scored on a pair of errors by the Vikings in the field. On the next at bat, Lottie Ellis sent Olivia Dols across home plate on a single to put the Storm up 2-0. In the bottom of the next inning, Kailee Leathers recorded a lead off double before adding a third run on a RBI hit from Marissa Carter.
Following two scoreless innings, the Vikings found life in the top of the fifth with a leadoff single from Morgan Mashlan who then used solid base running before scoring on sac fly from Julia Pfeiffer. Taylor Kottke then scored on a RBI ground out by Isabella Lattery. Those two runs wouldn't be enough, though, as the Storm shut the Vikings down in the final two innings.
Lis King anchored the Storm win with a complete game effort on the mound allowing just two earned runs on five hits with six strikeouts. Valenzuela led the Storm at the plate going 2-for-3 with one run scored. Anna Pipenhagen suffered the loss for the Vikings despite a six-strikeout performance. Mashlan went 2-for-3 to lead the Vikings lineup.
Game 2 - No. 3 Northwestern def. No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior, 17-3 (5 inn.) |
Box Score |
Early in the conference season, on a cold day in Superior, No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior and No. 3 Northwestern met on turfed field to get in games prior to the blizzard that halted the season. The Yellowjackets swept the Eagles, but both had solid finishes to the season and had an opportunity to meet in better conditions to kick off the tournament. This time around, the Eagles found their bats in a big way with a 17-3 win in five innings.
The opening inning saw both teams get their offense going early as Northwestern scored twice on an RBI double from Courtney Schmidt and a fielding error. Wisconsin-Superior then responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Saige Patrick drove in Ciarra Stavang who reached on a lead-off single and Maggie Cragg followed up with a score on an error. Patrick then came in on an RBI from Katie White.
Those three runs were as many as the Yellowjackets would score, though, as the Eagles held them scoreless for the remainder of the game after putting up six runs in the top of the second. To start the inning, the first Eagle batter struck out before the next three were walked. Ellie Ronning then sent all three across home plate on a two-out double to push the lead to 6-3. The Eagles added three more in the inning, and then posted three in the third and sixth in the fifth.
Faith Forceir led the high-powered offense for the Eagles going 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI, while Schmidt was also 3-fro-3 with two runs and two driven in. Five other Eagle hitters each tallied at least two hits. Lexi Kopacek picked up the win on the mound allowing just one earned run on five hits. Stavang led for the Yellowjackets going 2-for-3 with one run.
Game 3 - No. 1 St. Scholastica def. No. 4 Crown, 5-4 |
Box Score |
Sunday No. 1 St. Scholastica and No. 4 Crown played for the conference title for the second straight season. THe Saints got the better of the Storm in both games but not by much. The Storm came ready to take down the Saints in a third attempt but came up just short Thursday in a narrow 5-4 loss.
The Saints scored first in the bottom of the opening inning on a RBI single from Maggie Schley to bring home Alexa Bremer who reached on a lead-off single. The Storm responded in the next half inning when Larissa Vik advanced bases and came home on three wild pitches to knot the score at 1-1.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the sixth when Crown took it's only lead of the game. Ellis and Vik hit back-to-back singles and Ellis scored on a single from Leathers making in 2-1 in favor of the Storm. The Saints immediately responded with four runs on RBI from Josie Fourre, Arianna Cremers and Bremer for a 5-2 advantage.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ellis drove in two runs on two outs before the Saints shut down Leathers on the final at bat to advance to the winner game Friday against Northwestern.
Bremer led the offense for the Saints going 3-for-4, one run and one RBI and recorded her 200th career hit. Schley also had two hits to add to the offense. Vanessa Kohl earned a complete game win on the mound for the Saints. Ellis, Valenzuela and Vik each recorded a pair of hits for the Storm.
Game 4 - No. 5 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior, 6-5 (10 inn.) |
Box Score |
No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior and No. 5 Bethany Lutheran met in the opening series of the UMAC season and split the series to set up an intriguing elimination game Thursday afternoon. The game didn't disappoint as it took extra innings to decide before No. 5 Bethany Lutheran emerged victorious to send No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior home for the year.
After 2.5 scoreless innings, Wisconsin-Superior finally broke the pitching duel as Sarah Fjeran and Stavang hit back-to-back singles to set up a Maggie Cragg RBI on a fielder's choice giving the 'Jackets a 1-0 lead. Hanson continued to pitch a hitless game until the top of the fourth when Eden Ambrose got a double but the Vikings were unable to score.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, a series of Viking errors set up runs from Stavang and pinch runner Amelia Leger to give the Yellowjackets a 3-0 lead. In the final hour, Bethany Lutheran finally found its bats when Pipenhagen singled through the left side. Mashlan then hit a sacrifice fly to score Kaylee Mork and get the Vikings on the board. Kottke then tripled in the next at bat to send Ambrose and pinch runner Megan Westphal home to tie the game 3-3.
Following a scoreless bottom for the Yellowjackets, the game went to extra innings where both teams had runners on in the eighth but failed to score. In the top of the ninth, Ambrose singled and advanced to second on a sac bunt from Mashlan. Kottke earned her way on to first on an error before Lattery sent both runners home on a double to give the Vikings a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Yellowjackets answered the call as Bobby Jean Miller and Fjeran led off with back-to-back singles to put runners on base. Miller then scored on a fielding erro to pull her squad within one. Cragg then hit a sac fly to send Fjeran home to tie the game 5-5 before Bethany Lutheran got out of the inning.
Sarah Presler singled to get the Vikings on the bases in the top of the 10th before Ambrose then singled to bring Presler around to put the Vikings up 6-5. They then stopped the Yellowjackets in the bottom to end the threat and the game and advance to play on Friday.
Pipenhagen struck out seven in her 10-inning complete game effort, while Hanson of Wisconsin-Superior also went the distance and struck out 11 batters. Ambrose led the Vikings' effort with four hits, one run and a RBI while Kottke and Lattery each had a pair of hits. Stavang, Miller and Fjeran each had two hits in the loss for the Yellowjackets.
Friday will see No. 1 St. Scholastica face No. 3 Northwestern at 12 p.m. in a game that guarantees the winner a pass on to championship Saturday. Game five pits No. 4 Crown against No. 5 Bethany Lutheran in another elimination game at 2 p.m., while the final game of the day will see the loser of the first game face the winner of the second in an elimination game.
Playoff Schedule
Thursday, May 3 (Day One)
Game 1 – No. 4 Crown def. No. 5 Bethany Lutheran, 3-2 |
Box Score |
BLC Recap |
CC Recap |
Game 2 – No. 3 Northwestern def. No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior, 17-3 (5 inn.) |
Box Score |
UNW Recap |
UWS Recap |
Game 3 – No. 1 St. Scholastica def. No. 4 Crown, 5-4 |
Box Score |
CSS Recap |
CC recap |
Game 4 – No. 5 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior, 6-5 (10 inn.) |
Box Score |
BLC Recap |
UWS Recap |
Friday, May 4 (Day Two)
Game 5 – 12 p.m. No. 1 St. Scholastica vs. No. 3 Northwestern |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Game 6 – 2 p.m. No. 4 Crown vs. No. 5 Bethany Lutheran |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Game 7 – 4 p.m. Loser of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Saturday, May 5 (Day Three)
Game 8 – 12 p.m. Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 7 |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Game 9 – 2 p.m. If necessary – same teams as Game 8 |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Event Information
The UMAC tournament has the following set admissions prices: Single Day Adult Ticket, $10; Single Day Student/Senior Ticket - $5; Adult Tournament Pass, $15; Student/Senior Tournament Pass, $7. All UMAC students, staff and faculty are FREE with valid institution ID to all games. No other passes will be accepted.
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the
UMAC Softball Tournament page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on
Twitter and
Instagram using
#UMACchamp.
2018 Tournament Page