After waiting an extra day and several extra hours for the start of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament to begin, the UW-Whitewater women's softball team made short work of UW-Superior on Saturday in Stevens Point, dispatching of the Yellowjackets in five innings by a score of 10-2. In their second game on Saturday the Warhawks were unable to repeat the result of their first game as they lost to UW-River Falls 3-2 in a game that ended early on Sunday morning. The threat of inclement weather pushed the WIAC tournament back an extra day and persistent rains pushed it back another several hours.
Box Score vs. UW-Superior
Box Score vs. UW-River Falls
UW-Whitewater won the WIAC regular season title with a record of 14-2 and earned the number one seed for the conference championship. The Warhawks awaited the winner of the elimination game between eight-seed UW-Superior and nine-seed UW-Stout. Superior prevailed over the Blue Devils 2-0 and moved on to face the Warhawks.
When the two teams met in the regular season back on April 26, the Warhawks won both games by a combined twenty-two runs. Saturday proved to follow that same path as the Warhawks scored big to win by eight.
After a scoreless first inning by both teams and a scoreless top half of the second by UW-Superior, the Warhawks put up six runs in the bottom half of the second to take an early lead. Meghann Brennfleck (Fox River Grove, IL/Cary-Grove) got things going with a leadoff single. Brennfleck advanced to second on a sacrifice hit by Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo). Liz Yucuis (S. Elgin, IL/St. Charles East) then homered to score the first two runs of the game. After two more singles and an error that loaded the bases, Suzanne Gersich (Wadsworth, IL/Warren) hit a grand slam. The grand slam is her second of the year, the first coming back on April 26 against Superior. The grand slam is also the team's fifth of the year. Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview) hit one on April 27 against UW-Eau Claire in the regular season WIAC title clinching game, and Rankins hit two, one against Fredonia and one against Chicago.
Superior got on the board in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run by Jodi Redlich, but the Warhawks answered in the bottom of the fourth with four runs of their own. With two outs, Ashley Smith (Elgin, IL/St. Edward Catholic) reached base after being hit by a pitch and Gersich walked. #Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West)# then singled to right field to score Smith. #Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards)# followed with a home run to cap the scoring for the Warhawks in the inning and the game.
Nikole Schulty (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) gave up two runs and two hits but struck out nine to record her ninth win of the season. Brittany Bleadorn took the loss for Superior.
The win meant the Warhawks moved on to face UW-River Falls in the double-elimination championship tournament. River Falls defeated UW-Stevens Point in their first round game for the right to play the Warhawks.
In the previous meeting between the two teams earlier this season, UW-W shutout the Falcons 8-0 in both games of the doubleheader. Saturday's game proved to have a different outcome as the Warhawks lost to the Falcons 3-2 in a tight game.
The Warhawks were the first on the scoreboard in the top of the third. After surrendering a single to the second batter in the first inning, Ashley Bertrand, second in the WIAC in strikeouts (175), struck out seven consecutive Warhawks before giving up a homerun to Gahl. The homerun is Gahl's seventh of the year and extended her hitting streak to twelve games. Another solo shot by LeBeau in the top of the fourth gave the Warhawks a two-run lead.
Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka), who led the WIAC with the lowest ERA (0.66) prior to the weekend's tournament, struck out seven of the first nine batters she faced. However, the bottom of the fourth caused some problems for the Warhawks after Stang walked the leadoff batter. The next batter, Jessica Lundgren reached first base on an error to put runners at the corners. Emily Howlett, the WIAC's leader in hits, RBIs, doubles, and total bases, answered the call by hitting a three-run home run to give the Falcons the lead.
The Warhawks threatened in the top of the fifth when the bases were loaded with two outs, but failed to score any runs.
Faced with three outs to score at least one run in the top of the seventh to keep the game going, Rankins led off with a single. Rankins stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice hit by pinch hitter Nicole Bothun (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson). However that was as far as she got as the Warhawks failed to capitalize with a runner in scoring position.
The loss is Stang's third of the season. Bertrand, who led the WIAC in wins coming into the tournament, won her sixteenth game of the year.
The Warhawks (29-7) move on to face UW-Platteville (14-20) at 10:00 am on Sunday, May 4. River Falls (27-12) advances to face UW-Oshkosh (26-8) on Sunday at noon. If the Warhawks happen to lose a game on Sunday their WIAC tournament run would end and they would await the announcement of at-large bids to the NCAA tournament.
The winner of the WIAC tournament earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament that begins on May 8. Regional sites are yet to be determined. The finals take place on May 16 through 20 in Salem, Virginia at the James I. Moyer Sports Complex. UW-Whitewater won the conference tournament in 2003, 1999, 1996 and 1989.
For additional information:
Brenda Volk, UW-W head coach, 262-472-1155
UW-W softball website
WIAC tournament website
