The UW-Whitewater softball team shutout UW-River Falls in both games of a Monday doubleheader in Whitewater, 8-0 and 8-0. The victories both came in shortened games, the first in five innings and the second in six innings. The wins against River Falls are the Warhawks third and fourth consecutive wins and their seventh and eighth wins in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Warhawks reside in third place in the conference but could move as high as second depending on the outcome of several other conference games.
Game one box score
Game two box score
A three-run fifth inning coupled with a four-hit shutout from freshman pitcher Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka) was enough to end game one in five innings based on the run rule. The Warhawks notched a run in the bottom of the first with a leadoff home run by Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview).
The Warhawks lit up the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth when they scored four runs highlighted by a leadoff homerun from Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards). A Gahl double later in the inning provided two more UW-W RBI's. The final run in the inning was scored when Ashley Smith (Elgin, IL/St. Edward Catholic) singled and drove in Gahl.
With Stang hanging onto a four-hit shutout that included eight strikeouts going into the bottom of the fifth, the Warhawks scored four runs to go up eight and end the game in five innings. In the fifth, LeBeau homered again, this time with Suzanne Gersich (Wadsworth, IL/Warren) on third and Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) on first. LeBeau's three-run home run is her ninth of the season which leads the team.
Gahl, Smith and LeBeau all tallied two hits in the game and Cruz kept alive a 22-game hitting streak. Stang recorded the win for the Warhawks and is 5-2 this season. Ashley Bertrand notched the loss for the Falcons, she is 13-4 this season.
The second game, much like the first, couple solid pitching with timely hitting. #Nikole Schutly# pitched all six innings and gave up only four hits while recording nine strikeouts. Schulty is 6-2 this season. UW-River Falls pitcher Brittany Rathbun surrendered twelve hits and eight runs to tally the loss and move to 9-4 this season.
The Warhawks scored two runs in the bottom of both the first and second innings to take a four run lead. They scored on four runs on four hits and two UW-RF errors.
A three run fifth was highlighted by an Angie Kelm (Markesan/Markesan) home run that drove in Haley Krueger (Beach Park, IL/Waukegan) and Carly Solberg (Oregon/Oregon). The Warhawks scored one more in the bottom of the sixth on a single by Gersich that scored Smith to end the game.
The Warhawks next game is Wednesday when they travel to UW-Platteville for a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 pm.
For additional information:
Brenda Volk
UW-W softball website
