Sports
Pointer outfielder Kimberly Liegel making a break for first base which she would reach on a Warhawk error.
Pointer softball drops first conference games
The Pointer
rnech142@uwsp.edu
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point softball team dropped two games in a doubleheader Wednesday, April 8 against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
The 9-0 and 11-4 defeats dropped the Pointers to a 13-7 overall record and began the team’s Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at 0-2.
The Warhawks ended last season second in the nation and Tom Henke knew the team had a tough competition in store for them going into the games.
“Today you can’t grab a lot of positives from this type ofexperience, although we knew that Whitewater was a very strong team,” Henke said. “There was a reason they took second in the country last year and that is because of how talented that ball club is.”
The Pointers allowed nine runs in the first three innings in the first loss of the night. Left fielder Sarah Butts and right fielder Samantha Bizeau earned hits in the 9-0 loss and the team committed three errors. Pitcher Kayla Kastenmeier served up seven runs and eight hits in the five-inning loss.
“We knew we had to come in here and really bring our A-game and our pitching had to hit spots and not make mistakes,” Henke said. “We knew we were not allowed to give them extra outs, not a ball club like this.”
UW-Whitewater started strong again in the second match-up and shot to a five-run lead in two innings. The Pointers mustered two runs off a double to right center from Allie Dorn in the fourth inning and UW-SP cut the lead to three.
In the sixth, Wenig batted in Elyse Nelson and Dorn earned her third RBI of the night after batting in Brittany Zelenka. The Warhawks went on to advance the lead with four runs in the top of the seventh to cap an 11-4 victory.
“A positive to pull from this was how we battled back in the second game, how we spread the offense around a little bit more in the second game,” Henke said. “In the second game we had more people contributing on the offensive side of the ball and that’s something to build on.”
Henke said the team was a bit humbled by the losses and that the games should be a learning experience for the team. This week, the Pointers gear up to prepare for UW-La Crosse, who they play in their second conference doubleheader on Friday, April 10.
The Eagles are currently 19-7 overall and 4-2 in WIAC.
“La Crosse is a good, solid fast-pitch team,” said Henke. “I know they’re playing good ball; they have a couple of really good pitchers and that’s going to be a very nice test for us.”
