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WIAC tournament softball champs UW-River Falls headed to Pella, IA for NCAA's

Posted: 3:32 PM May 7, 2012

The Falcon softball team opens NCAA Tournament play on Friday at noon playing the host school, Central Colllege in Pella, Iowa.

The Falcons are playing in the one and only six team bracket. There is a seven team bracket and six eight team brackets this year. Sixty-one teams made the tourney which features eight double elimination regionals.

The Falcons enter the tourney with a 30-13 record and are fresh off winning the WIAC Tournament championship last weekend in Eau Claire. UWRF won its first game, 8-0, over Stout, but then lost 9-2 to Whitewater. The loss meant the Falcons would have to win their remaining games to win the title. And, that's just want they did. The Falcons beat Platteville, 4-3, surviving a three-hour rain delay. Then on Sunday the Falcons beat Eau Claire, 4-3, Whitewater, 4-1, and Whitewater again, 8-4 in the title game. The title is the second straight for the Falcons after the 2011 team won the championship in River Falls. Last year the Falcons finished 2-2 in regional play in Eau Claire.

"We'll take the momentum from this past weekend into the tournament," said Falcon Coach Faye Perkins. "The experience that we gained last year at Regionals will help this year. When you get to this point all of the competition is tough - but we're ready for it."

Central is 35-8 and won the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title last weekend. They also had to win three games to claim the title. They beat Coe College in the title game, 2-1. Central is hitting .337 led bhy Annie Sarcone who has a .395 average. She leads the Dutch with nine homers and 46 RBI. Three pitchers have shared the duties on the mound. Rhianna Fleetwood is 16-2 and leads the Dutch with a 1.11 ERA. Central is 8-2 in home games.

UWRF is led in hitting by Amanda Ryder who has a .435 average. She has hit three homers and has 15 RBI She hit two homers at the WIAC Tournament. Ashley Goettl is second with a .392 average. She has 12 homers and 46 RBI and leads the team in both categories. Her 12 home runs ties the school record for homers in a season. Rose Tusa has been a workhorse on the mound. At the WIAC tourney last weekend she pitched 36.1 innings over the three days. She has a 23-6 record and a 1.62 ERA. The 23 wins is a single season record. She has pitched 199 innings and struck out 225. She could break the school record for innings pitched in a season (200) and season strike outs (231) this weekend. She is the current record holder in both categories.

The Falcons have a 1-6 record in games against Central in the all-time series.

For ticket information, call the Central athletics office at 641-628-5226.