Day One Wrapup
TOP SEEDS AND HOST TEAM ADVANCE IN REGIONALS
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The favored team won in every game but one today at the NCAA Division III Softball Regional Championship in Eau Claire with the exception being the hometown UW-Eau Claire squad.
Top-seeded and third-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.) wrapped up its game in six innings as it defeated Ripon College 8-0. Maria Bye and Marta Radcliffe hurled a no-hitter while the offense provided them with three homers.
The Tommies will face fourth-seeded and 21st-ranked Simpson College (Iowa), who bested fifth-seeded and 23rd-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University 1-0. The pitchers’ duel was decided when Chelsey Benoit walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.
The second-seeded UW-Oshkosh Titans beat Aurora University (Ill.) 5-0 behind a 16-strikeout performance from Ronessa Stampfli. No. 14 Oshkosh collected four unearned runs in the bottom of the second to send them to tomorrow’s matchup against Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) foe Eau Claire.
The sixth-seeded Blugolds upset third-seeded North Central College (Ill.) 10-0 in five innings. Eight of the runs came in the fifth, including three on Casey Leisgang’s triple. Jenny Ross one-hit the North Central batters.
St. Thomas and Simpson battle at 4 p.m. while the two WIAC squads start at 6 p.m. Of teams with one loss, the Ripon-Illinois Wesleyan contest begins at noon while North Central and Aurora face off at 2 p.m. All games are on Gelein Field.
