May 11, 2005
2005 Horizon League Softball Championship Page
Green Bay, Wis. - The 2005 Horizon League Softball Championship is set to begin on Thursday (May 12) as six contests are scheduled on opening day at the Ashwaubenon Sports Complex in Green Bay, Wis. The double-elimination tournament runs through Saturday (May 14) as the Championship Game is slated for 11:30 a.m. CDT.
Top-seed UIC attempts to repeat its tournament title from a year ago and capture an unprecedented seventh Horizon League Championship. The Flames won five consecutive titles from 1998-2002 in addition to last season. Wright State (2003), Cleveland State (1997) and Detroit (1992, 1987-89) are the only other current League schools to win the softball crown.
Tournament Schedule (All Times Central)
Thursday, May 12
Game 1 - No. 2 UW-Green Bay vs. No. 7 Wright State .......... 9:00 a.m.
Game 2 - No. 1 UIC vs. No. 8 Youngstown State ................... 9:00 a.m.
Game 3 - No. 3 Cleveland State vs. No. 6 Butler ................. 11:00 a.m.
Game 4 - No. 4 Loyola vs. No. 5 Detroit ................................ 11:00 a.m.
Game 5 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner ........................ 1:30 p.m.
Game 6 - Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner ........................ 1:30 p.m.
Friday, May 13
Game 7 - Game 1 loser vs. Game 3 loser .............................. 9:00 a.m.
Game 8 - Game 2 loser vs. Game 4 loser .............................. 9:00 a.m.
Game 9 - Game 7 winner vs. Game 6 loser ......................... 11:30 a.m.
Game 10 - Game 8 winner vs. Game 5 loser ...................... 11:30 a.m.
Game 11 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner ...................... 2:00 p.m.
Game 12 - Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner ................... 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 14
Game 13 - Game 12 winner vs. Game 11 loser .................... 9:00 a.m.
Game 14 - Game 11 winner vs. Game 13 winner ............... 11:30 a.m.
Game 15 - Game 14 winner vs. Game 14 loser*............................ TBD
*If necessary
Opening Day Previews
Game 1 - No. 2 UW-Green Bay vs. No. 7 Wright State (9:00 a.m.)
Game one features No. 2 UW-Green Bay (20-15, 13-5 HL) vs. No. 7 Wright State (14-22, 6-11 HL). The Phoenix earned the second slot with an eight-win improvement from the 2004 season which they went 5-11. The Phoenix swept the season series with the Raiders on May 7-8 as they won all three contests (1-0, 6-0, 2-0).
UW-Green Bay is led by a pair of juniors at the plate in Ali Rostkowski (.322) and Rebekah Oestreich (.298). Rostkowski recorded a team-high 28 hits on the season, including five doubles and four triples along with 14 RBI. Rostkowski tallied 25 hits on the year including six doubles and five RBI. Kate Sullivan, also a second team honoree this season, chipped in 12 hits during the regular-season. From the circle, the Phoenix is led by Kristin Kosobucki, who leads the League in earned run average (2.04). Kosobucki ended the regular-season with an 8-4 record, including 68 strikeouts in 72.0 innings pitched. She held her opponents to only 41 hits and 25 runs scored.
Wright State is led by sophomore Amanda Cody. Cody is currently second in the League with a .396 batting average, including 38 hits and 24 RBI in just 96 at-bats. She has a team-high four home runs on the season. Freshman Mary Jane D'Arcy is sixth in the League with a .341 batting average. D'Arcy recorded 31 hits this year, including six doubles and 14 RBI. From the circle, the Raiders rely on Cody once again as she is fourth in the League with 110 strike-outs in 114.1 innings this season.
Game 2 - No. 1 UIC vs. No. 8 Youngstown State (9:00 a.m.)
Game two features No. 1 UIC (38-25, 14-4 HL) vs. No. 8 Youngstown State (19-32, 4-13 HL). The Flames earned the top spot after winning five of their six League series this season, including a trio of three-game sweeps. One of those sweeps came early against Youngstown State during the first full weekend of League play as UIC won by margins of 3-2, 3-1 and 8-7.
The Flames are led by Cameron Astiazaran who currently leads the League and is fifth in the country in overall batting average with a .477 (95-199), including a League-high 16 home runs. She tops the League in hits (95), doubles (26), runs batted in (51), total bases (177), on base percentage (.555) and slugging percentage (.889). Also leading the charge from the plate is Nicole Shepard, who is third in the League with a .358 batting average, including 69 hits, 17 doubles and 24 RBI. From the circle, the Flames are led by Brittany McIntyre. McIntyre has a .333 ERA on the season with eight shutout victories. She has fanned 127 batters in 210.1 innings of work.
Youngstown State is paced by three Tiffany Patteson who is fifth in the League in batting average (.347), including 13 doubles and four home runs this season. The Penguins' Sarah Berry lends her .333 batting average as she has accumulated 47 hits, including 10 doubles and two home runs during the regular-season. Kelly Murphy leads the Penguins from the circle with a 2.29 ERA. Murphy accumulated 73 strike outs this season in 113.1 innings pitched.
Game 3 - No. 3 Cleveland State vs. No. 6 Butler (11:00 a.m.)
Game three features No. 3 Cleveland State (21-24, 10-5 HL) vs. No. 6 Butler (19-31, 7-12 HL). The Vikings grabbed the third spot after winning 15 of their final 20 games to close out the regular-season. Butler captured two of the three games with Cleveland State during the season. After the Vikings won game one, 2-1, the Bulldogs took the final two contests by margins of 5-4 and 2-1.
Cleveland State is led at the plate by a pair of freshman in Whitney Willard (.351) and Amber Lowe (.319) as both have combined for 85 hits this season. The Vikings look for experience from junior Grace Luginbuhl and senior Jackie Cornelius. Luginbuhl accumulated a 2.29 ERA with 142 strike outs in 165.1 innings this season. Cornelius is third on the team in batting average (.291) with 34 hits, including three doubles, two triples and four home runs.
Butler is led by sophomore JoAnna Gonzalez and senior Melissa Lemrick. Gonzalez (.315) and Lemrick (.315) combined for 82 hits and 22 doubles on the year. From the circle, the Bulldogs rely on freshman Niki Naffziger. Naffziger, who owns a 2.52 ERA this season, leads the League with 195 strike outs in 169.2 innings.
Game 4 - No. 4 Loyola vs. No. 5 Detroit (11:00 a.m.)
Game four features No.4 Loyola (17-35, 8-9 HL) vs. No. 5 Detroit (16-26, 7-10 HL). Loyola held on to the fourth slot even after losing its final four League contests. Detroit also enters the tournament on a losing skid as it dropped five of its final six League games. After the opener was postponed due to poor playing conditions, the Ramblers and Titans split the Sunday doubleheader on April 3. Loyola won game one 1-0, before Detroit took the finale, 6-0.
The Ramblers are led by senior Allison Scanlin and sophomore Raven Gengler. Gengler led Loyola in overall batting average as she went .329 from the plate this season, including 12 doubles, seven home runs and a team-high 27 RBI. Scanlin batted .277 this season with 11 doubles, five home runs and 25 RBI. The Ramblers are led from the circle by Mia Pangere. Pangere accumulated a 3.94 ERA this season along with 37 strike outs in 96 innings of action.
The Titans are paced by junior Kristin Martin and senior Anna Ollgaard. Ollgaard led Detroit this season with a .336 batting average as she knocked in 23 runs, including seven doubles and three home runs. Martin went .295 from the plate with five doubles and three home runs. Junior Katrina Klemp tallied 18 RBI with nine doubles and four home runs this season. The Titans rely on the right arm of senior Lisa Ferguson who leads UDM with 24 appearances. She owns a team-best 3.45 ERA, including 26 strike outs, while allowing only 48 hits in 42.2 innings from the circle.
