OSHKOSH, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point softball team (31-13) is headed to its first-ever Super Regional after winning the NCAA Tournament Oshkosh Regional Game 7 by a 3-1 final over No. 14 UW-Oshkosh (39-8). The Pointers dropped the first game of the day, 5-2, to force the decisive game 7.
Jesse Klicker (Spring Grove, Ill/Richmond-Burton Community), Kaitlin Roberts,
Ashley Zygowski (Saukville, Wis./Port Washington) and
Morgan Harwood (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) were named to the All-Regional Team, Harwood was awarded Most Outstanding Player of the Oshkosh Regional
Klicker hit a three-run home run, her only hit on the day.
Hailee Thompson (Bonduel, Wis./Bonduel) and
Rachel Baker (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) had two hits each and an RBI apiece in the first game of the day. Thompson had three hits on the day.
Pitching again was dominant for the Pointers. Freshman
Kodi Rizzo (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) pitched 6.0 hitless innings and had four strikeouts on the day. She started game two and went 5.0 innings. Harwood struck out six and Zygowski had three strikeouts.
Game 1 – UWSP 2, UWO 5
UWO took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run home run. A pair of doubles in the sixth upped the UWO lead to 3-0.
Klicker drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the sixth. She scored all-the-way from first on a double by Thompson to get UWSP on the board. Baker followed with a single as pinch runner
Parker Zipperer (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) scored to get the Pointers within 3-2.
UWO got two runs in the seventh on two hits and an error.
Harwood went 4.0 in her record-setting 26th start of the season. Zygowski went 2.0 innings in relief and Rizzo pitched a perfect frame with a strikeout.
Game 2 – UWSP 3, UWO 1
Roberts drew a walk in the first and was hit by a pitch in the third, but was stranded in both frames.
Sophie Schmidt (Twin Lakes, Wis./Wilmot Union) reached on a throwing error to start the fifth. She moved to second on a sac bunt by
Trinity Otto (Mequon, Wis./Homestead). With two away, Roberts drew a walk to put two aboard. Three pitches later, Klicker launched a home run the center as UWSP went up 3-0.
The Titans broke up the no-hit bid in the sixth with a bloop infield hit. Two batters later, another infield single put runners on the corners. A successful double steal got UWO on the board.
Rizzo went 5.0 perfect frames in the start. She struck out three. Zygowski tossed the final 2.0 frames to earn the save, her nation-leading 11th of the season. She also fanned three.
The Pointers will face Trine in the Super Regional Round beginning on Thursday (May 22). The winner of the best-of-three series advances to the DIII College World Series in Bloomington, Ill.
