The UW-Whitewater softball team set out to win their ninth and tenth games in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Wednesday at UW-Platteville and did just that by defeating the Pioneers 6-4 and 5-2. The Warhawks have not won ten conference games since the 2004 season. Their current conference record is 10-2 and there are four conference games remaining. The Warhawks overall record is now 22-6. UW-Platteville is 10-17.
Box Score Game 1
Box Score Game 2
The second win on Wednesday gave head coach Brenda Volk her 275th win of her career. Volk, head coach at UW-Whitewater since 1999, is also UW-W's all-time winningest coach with an overall record of 275-135-4. Prior to Volk's victory over the University of Chicago on April 9, 2008, Irv Madsen was the all-time winningest coach at Whitewater with an overall record of 264-106. Madsen coached the Warhawks from 1982-1986 and 1994-1998. Volk is not only the winningest coach at UW-Whitewater; she is also third all-time in the WIAC in wins and first among active coaches.
The first game of the doubleheader featured a UW-Whitewater pitcher that has the lowest ERA in the conference at 0.47. #Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka)# improved her record to 6-2 by allowing four runs on four hits while striking out six. UW-Platteville pitcher Maggie Medlicott notched the loss for the Pioneers and is now 5-8 this season.
UW-Platteville was first to score in the bottom of the first inning when Tera Burr scored from third on a throwing error by UW-W. Coming into Wednesday's doubleheader, UW-Whitewater led the conference with the least amount of errors at twenty-two.
The Warhawks did not trail for long however, as they scored two runs in the top of the second highlighted by leadoff doubles from Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) and Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards). The Warhawks added a run in the top of the fourth when LeBeau hit a solo home run. The home run is LeBeau's tenth of the year. Prior to Wednesday's competition, LeBeau was tied for the conference lead in home runs with Liz Bradley from UW-La Crosse.
The Warhawks added one more in the top of the sixth when Suzanne Gersich (Wadsworth, IL/Warren) scored on a Meghann Brennfleck (Fox River Grove, IL/Cary-Grove) grounder.
Stang held the Pioneers hitless from the leadoff batter in the first inning until she gave up a double in the sixth. Platteville scored in that inning when Burr stole home to tighten the game at 4-2.
Two runs from UW-W in the top of the seventh were matched by Platteville in the bottom of the frame, but the Pioneers were unable to force extra innings.
The Warhawks jumped on the board immediately in game two when Ashley Smith (Elgin, IL/St. Edward Catholic) scored on a throwing error by a UW-Platteville shortstop in the first inning. The Pioneers took the lead in the bottom of the first after Burr led off with a home run followed by back-to-back doubles by Nikki Hansen and Becky Swanson.
It wasn't until the top of the fourth inning when the Warhawks took a lead they never relinquished. Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo) hit a home run in the inning to score Brennfleck. Two more runs in the top of the seventh were enough for the Warhawks to hang on and win 5-2.
Nikole Schulty (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) was the winning pitcher surrendering eight hits and two runs while striking out seven. Schulty is 7-2 this season and has the most wins on the team. UW-Platteville pitcher Katie Sutter recorded the loss and is now 4-7.
UW-Whitewater returns to the diamond on Thursday when they travel to Waukesha to play Carroll College in a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 pm. UW-Whitewater has no more regular season home games this season.
For additional information:
Brenda Volk
UW-W softball website
