The Warhawk softball team only needed two innings to sweep a doubleheader against UW-Stevens Point Wednesday afternoon at van Steenderen Field. A six-run third inning in the first game led to a 9-3 UW-W win and another six-run inning in the fourth of the second game gave Whitewater a 6-3 victory.

photo gallery (courtesy of Tim Gumz)

Game One Notes
game one box score
UW-Whitewater came back from a 2-0 deficit to win game one 9-3.

The Pointers stole the first run of the game, literally.  Shortstop Jessica Berger led off the second inning with a double and was singled to third.  With one out Berger stole home, her third steal of the season.

With two outs in the top of the third, the Pointers' next two batters reached on a free pass, followed by an infield error that loaded the bases.  DH Elyse Nelson singled to make it 2-0 UW-SP.

Whitewater bounced back quickly, plating six runs in their half of the inning to take the lead for good.  Leftfielder Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) singled in two runs, catcher Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) singled in one, third baseman Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo) singled in run number four of the inning, and rightfielder Shauna Binsfeld (Cedarburg/Grafton) doubled in the last two runs of the frame.  Whitewater led 6-2 after three.

Kate McDonnell (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) singled in run number seven in the fourth.

UW-SP got one back in the sixth, third baseman Katie Shulfer singled, got caught in a rundown, but stayed there long enough for Point's third run to score.

Epifanio and McDonnell produced again in the sixth, finishing the scoring at 9-3.

Junior lefthander Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka) upped her record to 8-2 for UW-W.  Stang yielded six hits, two earned runs, walked three and struck out six.  Epifanio and McDonnell both went 3x4 for the Warhawks with their two runs batted in. 

UW-SP used three pitchers, with Michelle Jones, 8-4, taking the loss in two and two thirds innings of work.  Nelson went 2x3 to lead Pointer batters.

Game two notes
Game two box score

The Warhawks found themselves working back from another 2-0 deficit in the second game after UW-Stevens Point scored one in each of the first two innings.

The Whitewater bats came to life in the fourth inning. Cruz led off the inning with a single and the next batter, Epifanio, connected on her third homerun of the season to tie up the contest 2-2. Two groundouts and a single compiled the next three at bats for the Warhawks.

Binsfeld doubled to left center scoring Jordyn Gaza (Mundelein, IL/Carmel Catholic) to give Whitewater the 3-1 lead. Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove) legged out a single to the third baseman and proceeded to steal second to put both runners in scoring position. Courtney Baldwin (Spring Grove, IL/Richmond-Burton) came through with a single to score both runners and advanced to second on an error by the left fielder on the same play. Baldwin moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a single up the middle by Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards) to round out the scoring in the inning with the 'Hawks up 6-2.

Stevens Point would produce another run in the top of the seventh but UW-W's defense didn't waiver finishing out the game for the win 6-3.

Baldwin and Gaza each went 2x3 at the plate driving in four of the six Whitewater runs in the second game. Five additional Warhawk batters recorded a hit in the game.

Freshman Sammy Kessler (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North) picked up her third win of the season allowing one run in three innings pitched while walking one.

Whitewater heads north for the weekend with a Saturday doubleheader in Superior beginning at noon and another doubleheader Sunday in Eau Claire also starting at noon.

The Warhawks return to Whitewater Thursday, April 22 for more doubleheader action against the University of Dubuque scheduled to start at 3:00 pm.

For additional information: Brenda Volk