UW-Whitewater repeated as champions of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, shutting out second place UW-Eau Claire twice, 4-0 and 2-0, Friday at van Steenderen Field in Whitewater. The game featured a matchup of the seventh-ranked Warhawks and number eighteen Blugolds, as well as the two teams that played in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III championship game in Salem, Virginia last May.
box score game one
box score game two
photo gallery courtesy of Joy Kowald
Whitewater scored all the runs it would need in game one in the bottom of the first inning. The first run came in on a Bugold error, and Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards)'s two out double brought in two more. A LeBeau double figured in the only other run of the game, in the sixth. She doubled a runner to third and the run came home on the second out of the inning, a ground ball to second base.
UW-W sophomore lefty Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka), 15-1. scattered three hits, all singles without allowing a walk and striking out five. The Blugolds advanced a runner to second just twice, in the first and second innings. Whitewater's Amy Gahl (Beloit/Parkview) and LeBeau led both teams with two hits apiece. Gahl extended her hitting streak to twelve games.
The scoring came early in game two as well, with the Warhawks pushing across solo runs in the second and third. UW-W manufactured the first run, combining two walks, a sacrifice and two singles, including Nicole Bothun (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson)'s RBI. #Ashley Smith led off the UW-W third with a single, and was doubled home by Suzanne Gersich (Wadsworth, IL/Warren). Eau Claire advanced a runner to second three times, but never got as far as third base.
Stacy Bahr (Racine/Park) did not allow a hit through the first five innings to run her record to 9-1, and Stang came on to earn her fifth save of the season with two innings of one hit relief. UW-W's Kate McDonnell (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) was the only player in the game with more than one hit, going 2x3.
UW-Eau Claire is 27-10 overall and 10-4 in the WIAC. The Blugolds have two conference games remaining. The WIAC Tournament will be hosted by UW-Superior May 1-2. UW-Whitewater will be the number one seed, with either Eau Claire or UW-La Crosse, both 10-4, the second seed.
UW-Whitewater, 31-3 overall and 16-0 in the WIAC, will play Alma College at noon and Wheaton College at 2:00 Saturday in Wheaton, Illinois. The Warhawks will close the regular season at home Tuesday, April 28 with a 3:00 doubleheader against Elmhurst College. The Elmhurst games will be played at van Steenderen Field, west of Perkins Stadium and north of Williams Center on the UW-W campus. There is no admission charge and parking is free in the stadium lot.
For additional information: Brenda Volk, UW-W coach
