UW-Whitewater clinched sole possession of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship with a doubleheader sweep of UW-Eau Claire, 2-0 and 12-4, in Eau Claire Sunday.
UW-EC, now 25-9, came in to the day ranked eleventh in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll. UW-W, winners of twelve in a row, is now 28-6.
The Warhawks, 14-2 in league play, have completed their WIAC schedule. Eau Claire, 10-4, has a doubleheader with Superior remaining on the schedule and UW-Oshkosh, 10-3, has three league games left. UW-Whitewater will be the number one seed in the WIAC tournament, May 2-3 in Stevens Point. The Warhawks first game will be on Friday at 1:00pm against the winner of the UW-Superior vs. UW-Stout game which takes place Friday morning at 9:00. The winner of the league's postseason tournament earns an automatic berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III championship.
game one box
game two box
The title is Whitewater's sixth in softball, and the first since 1999 (also 1980, 1986, 1989, 1996). UW-W won the WIAC tournament the first year it was held, 2003.
UW-W will conclude the regular season with a doubleheader at Elmhurst College Tuesday.
game one
Whitewater's Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka) and Eau Claire's Jenny Ross came in to the game 1-2 in the WIAC in earned run average, and the expected pitcher's duel resulted. Niether allowed a run through three innings, with Stang giving up one hit and Ross two. With one out in the fourth, leftfielder Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) hit a home run for Whitewater, her seventh of the season, to break the march of goose eggs on the scoreboard. Stang did not yield a hit the rest of the way, and UW-W added another run in the seventh on three singles, the last for the run batted in by centerfielder Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview) for the 2-0 final.
Stang, 7-2, allowed just one hit, the sixth one-hitter in school history and the first since Amanda Laboy (Kenosha/Bradford) did it March 29, 2007 in Fort Myers, Florida in a 12-0 win over Oberlin College. She walked two and struck out a team season high eleven, the second highest single game total in the school record book. (Dana Jakoubek struck out 13 May 3, 2003 versus UW-Platteville.) Ross, a sophomore lefty, suffered her first loss of the year after opening with 16 consecutive wins. She allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out four.
game two
The opposite of game one, UW-W's offense ended the game early by the run deficit rule.
Cruz got the Warhawks started with a three-run homer, number eight of the season, in the first inning. UW-W added two more in the third, and one in the fourth to lead 6-0. Eau Claire halved the margin with three in the fourth. Whitewater responded with six runs in the top of the fifth, with the big blow a grand slam by Gahl. Eau Claire got one back with a pair of doubles in the fifth, but that wasn't enough to continue playing.
Nicole Schulty won the game, upping her record to 8-2. UW-EC used three pitchers.
For additional information: Brenda Volk, UW-W coach
