The Warhawk softball team split a non-conference doubleheader in Bloomington, Illinois against Illinois Wesleyan Wednesday afternoon. UW-W won the first game 6-2 and dropped the nightcap 5-1 to bring their record to 21-13 on the season.
Game One: UW-Whitewater 6 Illinois Wesleyan 2
Box Score
Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards)'s two run triple in the fifth inning provided the winning margin.
Second baseman Kate McDonnell (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) opened the scoring in the game with a two-run homer, her second of the season, in the second inning.
IWU combined a walk, a sacrifice, a triple and a single to manufacture two runs in the bottom of the second to tie the game.
Whitewater loaded the bases in the third and the Titans advanced a runner to third in the fourth, but neither team could push a run across.
Neither team could push a run across until LeBeau's clutch hit in the fifth to put the Warhawks up 5-2.
First baseman Jordyn Gaza (Mundelein, IL/Carmel Catholic) concluded the scoring with a RBI single in the seventh.
Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka), 10-6, went the distance for UW-W, giving up five hits and two walks while striking out two. Center fielder Sara Fisher (Greenfield/Greenfield), left fielder Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) and McDonnell had two hits each for the Warhawks. Christy Engel, 8-7, took the loss for IWU, yielding ten hits and five walks with ten strikeouts. Left fielder Jen Monaco and right fielder Katie Bruins both collected a pair of hits for the Titans.
Game Two: Illinois Wesleyan 5, UW-Whitewater 1
Box Score
Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards) got UW-W started in game two as well, striking her fifth home run of the season in the top of the second. IWU first baseman Kris Lee knotted it in the bottom of the third with her second round-tripper of the season.
It stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth, when the Titans scored three times. Pinch hitter Lauren Vorel singled in two and Lisa Nartosky stole home on the front end of a double steal.
The Titans added one more in the sixth.
Freshman right-hander Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More), 3-6, went the first five and a third for UW-W. The Warhawks were limited to three hits by freshman right-hander Katie Bruins, 6-3.
Misc.
UW-W is 21-13 overall and IWU is 24-12. The Warhawks will return home to host Lawrence University Thursday, April 29 at 3:00 at the van Steenderen diamond on the north end of campus. The game is designated as the SlakStrong game, with events and proceeds benefitting the fund established in the name of cancer victim and former Warhawk swimmer Tyler Slak.
For additional information: Brenda Volk, UW-W head coach
