The UW-Whitewater softball team kept their National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament championship hopes alive with a 7-3 victory over Wartburg College on Sunday in a regional hosted by Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. The regional is a double-elimination format and with the Warhawks having only one loss they will continue on to play number one ranked DePauw University on Sunday at 6 pm. DePauw is the team that handed the Warhawks their only regional loss on Saturday in a game that went extra innings with UW-W losing 6-5. UW-W post-season website
Box Score
This was the second time UW-W and Wartburg met; the first was two days ago in the regional when the Warhawks came from behind to win by a score of 8-6. The two losses for number eight ranked Wartburg means they are eliminated from the NCAA tournament and their season has come to an end.
UW-W surrendered three runs in the top of the first and that was all Wartburg would get as the Warhawks would go on to outscore them 7-0 the rest of the way. Wartburg scored on a solo home run, a sacrifice fly and a single.
The Warhawks responded with two runs in the bottom of the first and then tied the game in the bottom of the second on an Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview) home run.
The Warhawks scored four in the bottom of the fourth to cap the scoring and seal the victory. A Suzanne Gersich (Wadsworth, IL/Warren) two-run home run, an Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards) RBI double and a Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo) RBI single produced all of the runs for the Warhawks.
Nikole Schulty (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) came on in relief and struck out ten batters in six innings while allowing only three hits. Schulty is 10-2 this season. Abi Robison (so, p) took the loss for the Knights and ended the season with a record of 9-3.
UW-Whitewater is now 33-9 and moves on to face number one ranked DePauw University at 6:00 pm on Sunday. The Warhawks must defeat the Tigers two times to move on in the double-elimination NCAA Division III tournament.
For additional information:
Brenda Volk, UW-W head coach, 262-472-1155
UW-Whitewater softball website
NCAA regional website
