Keyes Hits Game-Winning Single to Open WIAC Tournament Play

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 1, 2009

Superior, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse softball team opened Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament action with a 3-2 victory over UW-Stevens Point Friday morning at UW-Superior. The Eagles, the tournament's second seed, will advance to the winner's bracket and face third-seeded UW-Oshkosh at 4 p.m. Friday.

Seventh-seeded UW-Stevens Point (20-19) will now face UW-Stout in an elimination game starting at 2:45 p.m.

UW-L improved to 31-10 on the season with its victory over the Pointers Friday morning.

The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning with a pair of unearned runs as Rachel Croak scored on a Pointers' error and Jenna Ahnen later came in on a Katie Keyes fielder's choice bunt.

UW-Stevens Point cut the lead to the 2-1 in the top of the fifth on Melissa Wenig's solo home run. The Pointers forced a 2-2 tie on Elyse Nelson's home run to start the top of the seventh. UW-Stevens Point's Allie Dorn then reached second on a UW-L error and Kaylyn Von Glahn came in to pitch for UW-L. She struck out Wenig and Kelly Arndt before getting Sarah Butts on a groundout.

Ahnen opened the bottom of the seventh with a walk and moved to third UW-Stevens Point's second error of the game on Cara Salm's at-bat. Keyes then singled to left field to score Ahnen with the winning run.

Von Glahn earned the victory, pitching 1.0 inning with two strikeouts. Heather Schultz started for UW-L, going 6.0 innings, allowing five hits, two runs and one walk while striking out five.

Croak was 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored while Kelsey Golackson finished 2-for-3 with a triple. Ahnen walked four times while scoring two runs.

Kayla Kastenmeier took the loss for UW-Stevens Point, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing six hits, three runs (all unearned) and five walks with eight strikeouts.