PITTSBURG, Kan. – Winona State softball opened the 2026 NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament with a 12-4 loss against Central Oklahoma.
Winona State was unable to overcome seven Central Oklahoma extra-base hits and took a loss in the double-elimination tournament. With the loss, the Warriors will take on No. 2 seed Pittsburg State in an elimination game at 1:30pm tomorrow.
Winona State struck first as NSIC Player of the Year
Alyssa Woelfel led off with a single down the right field line.
Tiegan Mancuso then drew a walk before
Lila McNeill tallied a two-out single through the right side to drive in a pair of runs and give WSU a 2-0 lead.
Izzy Howe started in the circle for the Warriors and made quick work, striking out the side in the Bronchos half of the inning. After WSU left runners on second and third in the top of the second, UCO tallied five runs to go ahead 5-2.
Bryn Elsenpeter opened the third inning with a solo shot to left center to bring Winona State within two, but Central Oklahoma answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half. Elsenpeter's second solo homer of the day put a tally on the board in the fifth, then UCO took momentum right back with three runs in their half of the inning to extend the lead to 11-4.
The Warriors (48-10) didn't have any answer and suffered a 12-4 defeat in the opening game of the NCAA DII Central Regional Tournament. WSU will be back in action tomorrow at 1:30pm against the host, Pittsburg state.
