Sara Brunlieb pitched a three-hitter as UW-Oshkosh defeated UW-Stout, 3-0, and remained unbeaten at the WIAC Softball Championship on Saturday (May 2) at Gelein Field in Eau Claire.

Third-seeded UW-Oshkosh (30-10) advances to play sixth-seeded UW-River Falls (22-21) at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday (May 3). The winner will play later on Sunday for the WIAC's automatic bid to the 62-team NCAA Division III Championship. UW-River Falls ousted fifth-seeded UW-Stout (16-27) from the league's double-elimination tournament with a 14-2, five-inning win in Saturday's last game.

In Saturday's other games, fourth-seeded UW-La Crosse defeated UW-River Falls, 9-6, and second-seeded UW-Whitewater (34-7) eliminated UW-La Crosse (27-14) with a 10-3 victory.

The Titans outhit the Blue Devils, 9-3, and reached 30 wins in a season for the fourth time in school history and first since 2008.

Brunlieb (21-3) recorded her fourth shutout of the year and became the second UW-Oshkosh pitcher to reach 21 wins in a season, joining Nila Gruenewald, who won 25 games for the Titans in 1985. Brunlieb is the 11th pitcher in WIAC history to win at least 21 games in a season.

UW-Oshkosh's Brianna Witter drove in the eventual game-winning run with a single in the top of the second inning. Witter came in to score the second run of the frame when UW-Stout shortstop Lynzi Knudtson mishandled a grounder off the bat of Haley Bayreuther with two outs.

UW-Oshkosh tacked on an insurance run in the third inning on a two-out double by Kimberly Lohre.

UW-Stout brought the potential tying run to the plate with two outs in the fourth inning, but Brunlieb induced a groundout to preserve the shutout. Brunlieb held UW-Stout hitless and allowed just two baserunners over the final three innings.

The Titans received two hits each from Elizabeth Fonk, Katie Koepsel, Emily Mallek and Witter.

Tori Workman (12-14) suffered the complete-game loss for UW-Stout, allowing three runs (two earned). She struck out eight and walked two.

UW-Oshkosh, which won its WIAC Championship opener, 4-1, over UW-La Crosse on Friday (May 1), swept a pair of games from UW-River Falls by scores of 4-1 and 3-2 on April 18 in River Falls.

Photo courtesy of Jim Lund