LA CROSSE, Wis. – Freshman
Ashley Cohen (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South) tossed the UW-Stevens Point softball team's first shutout of the season as the Pointers took down UW-La Crosse (26-12, 10-4) in the opening game, 2-0. UWSP (11-23, 3-11) took the Eagles to extra-innings before a 3-2 loss in game two.
Cohen drove in a run, the eventual game-winner, on a triple in game one. She also scored a run to solidify the lead.
Paige Allen (South Elgin, IL/South Elgin) had a pair of hits in game one.
Payton Mix (New London, WI/New London) had three hits in game two and drove in a run.
Katie Uhlenbrauck (Hortonville, WI/Hortonville) scored a run in each game. She had a hit and drove in a run in game two.
Game 1 – UWSP 2, UWL 0
Uhlenbrauck led off the second inning with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Mix. Cohen followed with a triple down the right field line to put UWSP up 1-0.
Paige Kitzing (Mount Pleasant, WI/J.I. Case) singled to push home Cohen for a two-run advantage.
In the UWSP third, a lead off error put a runner aboard. Two batters later, Allen singled to put runners at the corners, but the Pointers were not able to add to their lead.
UWL got a base hit in the fifth, the first Eagle to reach base since the first inning. Cohen shut the door and kept the UWL offense to a single base runner in each of the final three innings to lock up the shutout.
Game 2 – UWSP 2, UWL 3 (8 inn.)
UWL produced the first threat in the fifth inning of game two. Four hits moved runners from station to station to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth,
Morgan Johnson (Combined Locks, WI/Kaukauna) led off with a single to left. She moved to second on a sac bunt and scored on a double by Uhlenbrauck to tie the game. Mix followed with a single to left to plate Uhlenbrauck and give UWSP a 2-1 edge.
The Eagles manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game. Neither team scored in the seventh and the game went to extras. In the bottom of the eighth, UWL turned a leadoff single into the winning run to spoil UWSP's hope for a sweep.
The Pointers head to Wisconsin Lutheran on Tuesday for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader to conclude the regular season.
