The UW Oshkosh women’s softball team clinched the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title over the weekend with sweeps over UW-Platteville and UW-Eau Claire.
UWO was able to win both games at Platteville with scores of 3-0, and 4-0 respectively. Sydney Nemetz and Abby Freismuth started both games for the Titans and were able to go the distance in both games.
In game one, all the offense needed was two RBI singles from Brianna Davis and Abby Garceau and an RBI triple from Hannah Ritter to the game. Then, in game two, Cali Divito scored on an RBI sacrifice fly from Ritter in the top of the third to get the lead. UWO was able to extend the lead with a three-run sixth inning thanks to RBI doubles from Davis and Morgan Rau to make the score 4-0.
The sweep versus the Pioneers set the Titans in a position where if they split their doubleheader versus UW-Eau Claire, UWO shares the title but if they sweep the Blugolds then the Titans clinch the WIAC outright. The team was able to accomplish the latter of the two potential scenarios as they swept the Blugolds. The Titans made sure that they did not leave any room for error in the two games as they crushed UWEC in both games with scores of 6-1 and 10-4 respectively. UWO blew open game one immediately with a three-run homer from Sophie Wery in the first and a two run homer from Rau in the third to make it 5-0.
The Blugolds were only able to scrape across one run in the game thanks to a solo homer. The second contest of the doubleheader started out close as UWO scored two runs in the third inning with a single from Garceau and a fielder’s choice from Wery.
Even though the Blugolds responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead at 2-3 UWEC, the Titans did not go down, UWO answered with a four-run fifth inning thanks to two RBI doubles from Ritter and Rau, an RBI single from Wery and a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-3 Titans. UWO was also able to put together a three-run seventh inning to really put it away and clinch the overall WIAC regular season title.
Head Coach Scott Beyer said that the team used the win in game one as motivation to take both games.
“After we won game one, we knew that we had a share of the title, and between games the players were very determined to win the title outright,” he said. “When they did it, the excitement and joy was amazing. The team worked so hard, and to see that pay off is an incredible feeling.”
With winning the regular season title, the Titans get to host the WIAC tournament this weekend. Beyer said that it will be an advantage for the tournament to run through Oshkosh.
“It will be nice to be in our own beds for sure,” he said. “There is a sense of confidence you have at home versus on the road and we will need every advantage we can get.”
Beyer also realizes that to win this title. They will need to continue playing at their best, even though they are the host team.
“We are going at this as any other weekend. We know what we and the teams we will face are capable of,” he said. “We have beaten each team in the tournament before, so we will be confident and work on the normal things we always do.”
The 2024 WIAC women’s softball tournament starts on May 9. The Titans will play their first game at 2 p.m. against the winner of the matchup between UW-Eau Clare and UW-Whitewater.
