OSHKOSH, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh softball suffered its first loss of the NCAA Division III Championship at the hands of conference foe UW-Stevens Point at the UW-Oshkosh Softball Park on Friday (May 16).
 
The Pointers (30-12), who won twice over the Titans (37-7), ranked 14th in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, took the 1-0 win after Oshkosh booted them out of the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) by a score of 3-0 on May 10.
 
Grace Nardi (Marquette, Mich./Negaunee) threw all six innings of the contest and struck out five Pointers while allowing one run on three hits and a walk. She suffered her first loss of the season, currently holding a record of 12-1.
 
Abby Garceau (Mishicot/Mishicot), Sydney Rau (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South), Amanda Martineck (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East), and Haylie Wittman (Kaukauna/Kaukauna) each had a hit in the game. Olivia Ullman (Denmark/Denmark) reached base in two of her plate appearances with a walk.
 
UW-Oshkosh played as the away team and batted first as a result.
 
Garceau legged out a leadoff infield single in the first inning but was caught stealing second during Ullman's plate appearance to keep Oshkosh out of scoring position.
 
The Pointers scored their only run of the game on a home run that just cleared the left field fence in the bottom of the first frame before Nardi fanned her second batter and induced a pair of outs to end the inning.
 
Martineck took her turn notching a leadoff single in the second inning and advanced to second when Wittman singled to left field, however both her stranded on base when the following three Titans went down in order.
 
Morgan Rau (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) drew a walk as the first batter of the inning and was pinch ran for by Lizzie Slobodecki (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North). She reached second on a walk for Wittman, and both advanced a bag on Sophie Wery's (Seymour/Seymour Community) flyout to center, however neither had the chance to cross the plate as Stevens Point's pitcher struck out Sarah Hammerton (Appleton/Appleton West) to escape the situation.
 
Oshkosh put one runner in scoring position in the sixth inning. Wery was walked and pinch ran for by Maddie Crick (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove). Mary Kate Quaid (Aurora, Ill./Oswego East) pinch hit for Hammerton and reached on an error, but the Pointers once again got out of the inning unscathed.
 
Nardi kept Stevens Point off the board for the fifth consecutive inning in the bottom of the sixth, facing just four batters to give Oshkosh a chance to get back in the contest, but three straight outs sent the Pointers to the regional championship and Oshkosh to the elimination bracket.
 
The Titans started their elimination game against Concordia University Wisconsin (32-12) at 4 p.m. on Friday. The contest reached the fourth inning with Oshkosh up 2-1 on a Wery RBI single and a Haylie Wittman (Kaukauna/Kaukauna) home run before being suspended due to poor weather conditions. The game will resume on Saturday (May 17) at 11 a.m. and the winner will advance to the regional championship and face the Pointers.