Oehlke's Walkoff Home Run Sends St. Norbert to Sunday at NCAA Great Lakes Regional

From Sports Information Director, May 15, 2010 | Softball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

WHITEWATER - Brieanne Oehlke's walkoff home run to lead off the bottom of the seventh lifted St. Norbert College to its second elimination-round win of the day with a 2-1 triumph over UW-La Crosse at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional at van Steenderen Field.

The Green Knights (33-7), who eliminated Augustana College 3-0 earlier in the day, will face Aurora University (37-8) in a loser-out game at noon Sunday. The winner of that game will face Luther College (40-5) at 2 p.m. If Luther loses, a second championship game will be played at 10 a.m. Monday.

St. Norbert, which had never won a NCAA Softball Tournament game in its history prior to a 4-2 win over Alma College on Friday, now has three NCAA wins in two days. The Green Knights' 33 wins this season set a school record for wins in a year by any St. Norbert team.

Oehlke led off the bottom of the seventh with her fifth home run of the season - a ball that left the park in center field. Oehlke is St. Norbert's career home run leader with 24.

The Green Knights and Eagles battled through five scoreless innings before La Crosse (38-9) scored in the top of the sixth. Jenna Ahnen got aboard on a bunt single, and went to third on a groundout. Katie Keyes' groundout to second scored Ahnen. St. Norbert tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on Stephanie Ortiz's two-out home run to right-center.

Kari Corbeille won her third game of the tournament, allowing just five hits with one walk and no strikeouts. St. Norbert had just four hits in the game, and again played errorless defense.

Against Augustana, St. Norbert jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning. Kayla Krueger's RBI triple scored Ortiz, and Oehlke's infield single scored Krueger. The Green Knights added an insurance run in the fifth when Ortiz homered to right-center field.

Augustana put a pair of runners on in each of the last two innings, but left them stranded. The Vikings left seven runners on in the game and had seven hits.

Corbeille was dominant, not walking a hitter and striking out one. She was supported by a St. Norbert defense that did not make an error.

St. Norbert had six hits in the game, with Oehlke going 2-for-3.