Salazar homer delivers win in final series of season

Written by: Jeremy Williamson, Sports Information Student Assistant

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The Pioneer softball team concluded their 2015 campaign with a doubleheader against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, taking one of the two games and finishing the season 12-28 overall and 3-13 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The first contest proved to be one the most exciting games of the year for the Pioneer women. They took an early lead off a Shannon Books sac fly to bring in Lisa Karau in the first inning and held the 1-0 lead until the top of the fourth. UW-Stevens Point responded with two runs, but a flustered Pointer defense threw two wild throws allowing batter Carley Rote to reach second and Chelsey Walker to make it home, tying the game at two apiece. One run in both the fifth and seventh inning put the Pointers back on top 4-2, but a culmination of Pioneer seniors would not allow the opponent to take game one. Senior Katie Huss started things off with a double up the middle, her fourth of the year. Senior Lisa Karau singled to bring in Huss and cut the lead to one, 4-3. After Rote reached second off a fielder's choice, senior Haley Salazar crushed a two-run, walk-off home run to snap a six-game losing streak and salvage the women's twelfth and final win of the year.

The Pioneers continued their at-the-plate success at the beginning of the second game, putting up four runs in the first two innings to take the early lead, 4-2. Tacking on five runs in the next two innings and shutting out the Pioneers for the remaining innings, UW-Stevens Point ran off with game two, 7-4.

UW-Platteville celebrated the final games of four seniors on Sunday. Karau, Patten, Salazar and Huss concluded their stellar Pioneer careers and coach Lee Negrelli will have a plethora of young talent returning to her squad next season. Karau ended the season with a WIAC second-best 14 doubles and the eighth best batting percentage at .389 going 35-90. In Patten's second and final year in Pioneer orange and blue, she tallied 21 stolen bases, second in WIAC, tied for a sixth-best 45 hits in 40 games played and tied for the fifth most runs with 32. Huss concluded her two-year Pioneer career playing in a total of 81 games, made 196 plate appearances, garnered 37 hits and 17 RBIs. Salazar is the only senior to have been on the team all four years. She accumulated 324 at-bats in 95 games played, tallying 94 hits and 58 RBIs, while earning honorable mention All-WIAC in her junior season. 

As of now coach Negrelli will be returning two juniors, one sophomore and eight freshmen to next year's lineup. The Pioneer softball banquet will be held on May 5 at 6 p.m. in Velzy Commons with tickets available in the main athletic office during normal business hours.