Women's Softball
2001 Highlights

Outfield Duo Receives All-Region Accolades

Brenda FeuchtJessie LahaUW-Oshkosh outfielders Brenda Feucht and Jessie Laha have received mention on the NCAA Division III All-Great Lakes Region Women's Softball Team. Both players were chosen to the third team by members of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Feucht started all 41 games for UW-Oshkosh this past season, hitting a team-best .395 with three home runs, 10 doubles, 25 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. The Mayville sophomore also had a team-high 14 multiple-hit games, including five three-hit outings.

Laha, a freshman from Appleton, started all 40 games that she played in last season and hit .338, the second-highest batting average on the squad. She also tallied 36 runs scored, eight stolen bases, five triples and a seven-game hitting streak, all team bests.

Earlier this year, Feucht and Laha were named to the WIAC All-East Division first team.

UW-Oshkosh posted a 16-24-1 overall record and finished second in the WIAC East Division with a 3-2-1 mark this past season.

Titans Land Three All-WIAC Honorees

Brenda FeuchtJessie LahaAngie LongFourteen players from the East Division and 16 players from the West Division were named to the 2001 All-WIAC Women’s Softball Team.

Headlining the East Division selections were Co-Players of the Year Kelly Rutta of UW-Stevens Point and Megan Kerkman of UW-Whitewater. Rutta helped the Pointers to the WIAC championship. Rutta garnered the East Division Player of the Year honor for the second-consecutive season.  She is hitting .452 with 21 runs batted in, eight triples and three home runs. 

Kerkman helped the Warhawks to a 25-14-3 record this season.  She is a four-time member of the All-WIAC East Division first team. She finished this season with a .407 batting average, 31 runs scored, 11 doubles and nine stolen bases. 

Leading the West Division selections was Player of the Year Angie Pinnow of UW-Stout.  Pinnow is a three-time All-WIAC West Division first team performer. She currently leads the WIAC with a .427 batting average, .706 slugging percentage, 101 total bases, .478 on-base percentage, 61 hits, six home runs and 17 stolen bases.

Receiving All-WIAC East Division accolades from UW-Oshkosh were sophomore first baseman Brenda Feucht of Mayville, freshman outfielder Jessie Laha of Appleton and freshman outfielder Angie Long of Green Bay.

Feucht hit a team-leading .395 for the Titans with three home runs, 10 doubles, 25 runs batted in and 25 runs scored. She had a team-high 14 multiple-hit games, including five three-hit outings. Laha hit .338 to rank second on the team. She also tallied 36 runs scored, eight stolen bases, five triples and a seven-game hitting streak, all team bests. Long hit .274 with three home runs, 20 runs scored and 19 runs batted in. Her season also included six games with multiple runs batted in, a team best.

Receiving WIAC All-East Division honorable mention recognition from UW-Oshkosh were sophomore second baseman Katie Dams of Greenfield, sophomore catcher Mary Easton of Kenosha and senior shortstop Carrie Thorson of Mayville,

UW-La Crosse’s Vicki Schull was selected the 2001 WIAC Coach of the Year by her peers after leading the Eagles to a school- record 27 wins. 

Titans Suffer Loss, Elimination From WIAC Tournament

Brenda FeuchtCarrie ThorsonA pair of three-run home runs did the UW-Oshkosh women's softball team in as UW-Stout posted a 7-4 victory and eliminated the Titans from the WIAC Championship on Friday (May 4) in Duluth, Minn. The contest between eighth-seed UW-Oshkosh and ninth-seed UW-Stout served as a play-in to the league's double-elimination tournament, with the winner advancing to meet top-seed UW-La Crosse and the loser faced with having its season end.

UW-Stout (20-22) and UW-Oshkosh (16-24-1) both scored in its first at bat, with the Blue Devils counting a run on a single by third baseman Cindy Shankle and the Titans on a sacrifice fly by sophomore left fielder Brenda Feucht. The Blue Devils, who defeated the Titans, 2-0, earlier in the year, broke the tie in the second inning on a one-out, three-run home run by shortstop Angie Pinnow.

In the third inning, UW-Oshkosh evened the score by crossing home plate three times. The Titans recorded three hits in the inning, including a run-scoring double by sophomore second baseman Katie Dams and a run-scoring single by senior shortstop Carrie Thorson. UW-Oshkosh scored its other run on a bases-loaded walk by sophomore designated player Ann Manteufel. UW-Stout added to its scoring total in the seventh inning when second baseman Erin Slaikeu belted a two-out, three-run home run.

UW-Oshkosh, which left the bases loaded in the first and third innings, was held to five hits in the game by UW-Stout pitchers Tracy Kokke and Jennie Bostrom. Thorson had two hits for the Titans, while Dams, Feucht and freshman center fielder Jessie Laha had one each. Sophomore Loni Ovans (9-10) took the pitching loss for UW-Oshkosh, allowing 12 hits and seven earned runs while hurling seven innings.

Titans Win, Tie With Warhawks

Katie DamsJessie LahaPreventing a comeback in the seventh inning of game one and staging a rally of its own in the seventh inning of game two, the UW-Oshkosh women's softball team defeated and tied UW-Whitewater on Monday (April 23) at the Titan Stadium Sports Complex.

UW-Oshkosh won a 13-12 decision in the two-hour, 30-minute opener and earned a 6-6 tie in the one-hour, 53-minute nightcap, with the latter being called due to darkness. The victory in the first game snapped a five-game losing streak for the Titans, while the tie in the second game was UW-Oshkosh's first since the 1990 season.

UW-Whitewater (17-8-3) took a 1-0 lead in its first at bat of game one, but quickly saw UW-Oshkosh (15-20-1) counter with seven runs in its inaugural at bat. The Titans tallied their runs on four hits and five UW-Whitewater errors, highlighted by a grand slam by sophomore second baseman Katie Dams. The Warhawks made the count 7-5 in the second inning by scoring four times, with two coming via a home run by third baseman Debbie Meltz.

UW-Oshkosh plated five runs in the fifth inning on three hits and one UW-Whitewater error, featured by a run-scoring single by sophomore left fielder Brenda Feucht. Aided by a base-load triple by left fielder Megan Koeller in the sixth inning, UW-Whitewater made the score 12-9. UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 13-9 in its half of the sixth inning on a solo home run by freshman right fielder Angie Long. The Warhawks staged a comeback in the seventh inning, scoring three runs on three hits. UW-Whitewater had runners on first and second when the third out was made.

UW-Oshkosh had eight hits in the opener, with freshman center fielder Jessie Laha having three and Long two. Sophomore Lizz Fernelius (7-12) pitched all seven innings, scattering 10 hits and striking out three batters.

Down 5-0 in the second game, UW-Oshkosh scored four runs on four hits in the fifth inning, including a solo home run by Feucht. The Titans benefited from three UW-Whitewater wild pitches that scored runs in the frame and one Warhawk error. Both teams scored runs in the sixth inning, with UW-Oshkosh getting its tally on a double by Laha.

After leaving two UW-Whitewater runners on base in the seventh inning, UW-Oshkosh tallied one run its half of the seventh with the contribution of a run-scoring single by Long. The Titans had runners on first and second when their last out of the inning and doubleheader was made.

UW-Oshkosh banged out 13 hits in the nightcap, with three beloning to sophomore catcher Mary Easton and two each to Feucht and Long. Sophomore Loni Ovans (8-8-1) took the pitching tie, allowing nine hits and striking out one batter in seven innings.

With the outcomes, UW-Platteville wins the WIAC East Division crown by owning a 4-2 record. UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater finished second with 3-2-1 marks and UW-Stevens Point fourth with a 1-5 log.

Titans Drop A Pair To Pioneers

Katie DamsCarrie ThorsonLess than 24 hours after sweeping UW-Stevens Point in the WIAC East Division opener, the fortunes quickly turned for the UW-Oshkosh women's softball team as the Titans dropped a pair of games to UW-Platteville on Thursday (April 19) in Platteville. The Pioneers won the opener, 11-1, and the nightcap, 5-2.

UW-Platteville (9-19/4-2) banged out six home runs in the doubleheader, including three by third baseman Beth Shaw in the first game. Shaw belted a solo home run in the second inning, a two-run blast in the third inning and a three-run shot in the fourth. The Pioneers hit two other home runs in the opener, a two-run shot by catcher Amy Pennekamp in the first inning and a solo smash by first baseman Amy Henning in the second inning.

UW-Oshkosh (14-17/2-2) was limited to five hits in the opener, with two belonging to sophomore second baseman Katie Dams. The Titans scored their lone run in the fourth inning on a single by sophomore catcher Mary Easton. Sophomore Lizz Fernelius (6-11) took the pitching loss for UW-Oshkosh, allowing 10 hits and 11 earned runs in the five-inning contest.

In the second game, UW-Oshkosh relied on senior shortstop Carrie Thorson's solo home run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. UW-Platteville took a 2-1 advantage in the third inning on a two-run double by shortstop Erin Esser. The Pioneers' lead didn't last long as in the next inning UW-Oshkosh tied the count on a run-scoring double by junior designated hitter Stephanie Swoboda. UW-Platteville took the lead for good in the fifth inning on a solo home run by catcher Michelle Skaden and added to the score in the sixth with a pair of tallies.

UW-Oshkosh totaled eight hits in the nightcap, including two by freshman right fielder Angie Long. Sophomore Loni Ovans (8-6) took the pitching loss, yielding nine hits and five earned runs in six innings of work.

Titans Sweep Pointers In WIAC Opener

Nikol MatzkeCarrie ThorsonThe UW-Oshkosh women's softball team opened WIAC East Division play in a big way on Wednesday (April 18) at the Titan Stadium Sports Complex by winning both ends of a doubleheader against UW-Stevens Point. The Titans posted victories of 4-2 and 8-5 to record its first doubleheader sweep of the Pointers since April 5, 1988.

UW-Oshkosh took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one when senior shortstop Carrie Thorson recorded a two-out, run-scoring double. The tally was only the fourth earned run allowed by UW-Stevens Point pitcher Karen Guckenberger in 66.1 innings.

The count remained 1-0 in UW-Oshkosh's favor until the sixth inning when UW-Stevens Point tied the game on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Nicole Alexander. Tied 1-1, UW-Oshkosh scored three runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning to take control of the game. The Titans benefited from three UW-Stevens Point errors in the frame and totaled three hits, including a pinch-hit, run-scoring double by sophomore Mary Easton.

Sophomore Lizz Fernelius (6-10) gained the pitching win for the Titans, scattering 10 hits and leaving two UW-Stevens Point runners on base in the second, fifth and seventh innings.

Scoring three runs on two hits in the first inning, one run on one hit in the second and three runs on three hits in the third, UW-Oshkosh jumped to a 7-0 advantage in the second game. The big hit during UW-Oshkosh's early assault was a two-out, two-run home run by junior third baseman Nikol Matzke in the third inning. UW-Stevens Point cut the deficit to 7-4 by scoring four runs in the fourth inning and 8-5 by counting one run in the seventh.

Sophomore Loni Ovans raised her pitching record to 8-5 in the nightcap, scattering 10 hits and striking out two batters in seven innings of work.