The UW-Whitewater softball team avenged their lone loss of the season by defeating Eastern Connecticut State 10-2 Wednesday in Florida. The Warhawks lost to the Warriors Sunday in Florida by a score of 4-0. UW-W improves to 8-1 with the victory and Eastern Connecticut falls to 5-3.  With the win, Warhawk head coach Brenda Volk secured her 300th career victory.  (Note:  Although this was the first game of the day, March 25, we have it listed first, out of chronological order, because of the significant accomplishment.)

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Volk, in her eleventh season as UW-W's head coach, is now 300-141-4.  Under her guidance the Warhawks have secured three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships (1999, 2003, 2008), two WIAC tournament championships (1999, 2003), and a second place finish in the NCAA Division III National Tournament in 2008.  Volk's association with the Warhawk softball program includes four years playing (1988-91) and six as an assistant coach (1992-97).

 

The Warhawks got on the scoreboard early with four runs in the bottom of the first. Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview) got things started with her third double of the season.  Ashley Smith (Elgin, IL/St. Edward Catholic) then singled to bring Gahl home. Smith later scored on a wild pitch that moved Suzanne Gersich (Wadsworth, IL/Warren), who had reached earlier in the inning on a single, to third. Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards) then smacked her second double of the season that scored Gersich. A sacrifice fly by Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo) plated LeBeau to give the Warhawks their fourth and final run of the inning.

 

The Warhkaws added one more run to their lead in the bottom of the third when Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) scored on another LeBeau hit.

 

The Warriors notched a run in the top of the fourth to narrow the Warhawks lead to 4-1 but UW-W answered in the bottom of the fourth scoring three runs on two hits highlighted with a solo homer by Gersich.

 

With the score at 8-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the Warhawks only needed two runs to end the game in five innings by virtue of the run rule. They accomplished that task when Gahl tripled to drive in Ellis Hatchett (Elgin, IL/Larkin) and Taylor Rothmund (Manitowoc/Lincoln) to give the Warhawks the 10-2 victory.

 

Gahl went 3X4 and Gersich went 3X3 while LeBeau was the only other Warhawk to record multiple hits when she went 2X3. Gahl, Smith and Gersich each scored two runs a piece.

 

Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka) pitched all five innings for UW-W and earned her fourth win of the season. Stang faced nineteen batters and struck out six.

 

The Warhawks will play again on Wednesday afternoon against D'Youville.