May 14, 2005
No. 2 UW-Green Bay kept its hopes alive in the 2005 Horizon League Softball Championship by defeating No. 3 Cleveland State, 3-1, in Game 14 on Saturday at a windy Ashwaubenon Sports Complex in Green Bay, Wis.
Since the tournament is double-elimination and the loss was Cleveland State's first in three days, the Championship Game will be Game 15 between the Phoenix and Vikings which is set to begin at approximately 2:00 p.m. CDT.
A pitching battled highlighted the first half of the contest as both teams remained scoreless until UWGB's Ali Rostkowski broke the tie with a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Phoenix held the lead until top of the seventh when CSU's Grace Luginbuhl tied the game at 1-1 with a solo shot to deep center.
Both teams battled into the eighth inning and after the Phoenix held the Vikings in the top half of the eighth, UWGB's Stephanie Hansen blasted a walk-off two-run home run to give the Phoenix a 3-1 eight-inning victory.
Hansen (8-6) also picked up the win in the circle as she struck out 11 batters, while scattering only five hits. Luginbuhl (16-13) recorded a game-high 12 strikeouts while giving up six hits in the loss.