Day Three Wrapup
EAU CLAIRE REGIONAL DOWN TO THREE
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The third day of the 2008 NCAA Division III Softball Regional Championship in Eau Claire saw the competing teams narrowed down to three as Simpson College (Iowa), Illinois Wesleyan and Aurora University (Ill.) were all eliminated.
UW-Eau Claire remained the tournament’s only unbeaten team, sending down the University of St. Thomas 5-4 in an extra-inning game. The win was the 200th victory for Blugold Head Coach Leslie Huntington’s career and also ended the Tommies 27-game win streak. Eau Claire improved to 31-11 with the win, while St. Thomas dropped to 42-4.
Aurora played two games today, defeating Simpson 6-0 in the day’s first game and losing to UW-Oshkosh in the day’s final game 2-1. Aurora also lost to Oshkosh on the first day of the double-elimination of the regional tournament. The team ended its season with a 37-8 mark.
Oshkosh also faced Illinois Wesleyan earlier in the day to advance to play Aurora. In the first game for the Oshkosh, a home run would decide Illinois Wesleyan’s fate as Oshkosh won 1-0. Illinois Wesleyan ended its season with a 30-11 mark, while Oshkosh improved to 31-10 after the win to Aurora.
St. Thomas and Oshkosh will now face each other in a contest scheduled for noon on Sunday. The winner of that game will then take on host UW-Eau Claire in a 2 p.m. matchup. If Eau Claire wins, it will advance to the NCAA Division III Softball National Championship in Salem, Va. next weekend. Should Eau Claire lose the game, a second game will be played at 10 a.m. Monday to determine the team that advances.
