The last time the UW-Whitewater softball team lost to UW-Platteville was in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2006, and that didn't change on Thursday.  The Warhawks beat the Pioneers on their home turf 9-1 (6 innings) in game one and 9-6 in game two.  UW-W has now won 10 straight over UW-P and improves to 12-6 overall and 2-0 in the WIAC.  Platteville drops to 9-11 overall and 0-2 in the WIAC.

Game one box score
Game two box score

In game one, an Amanda LeBeau (Worth, IL/Richards) RBI single to right center scored one and a sacrifice fly by Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) scored another as the Warhawks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

In the second, a bunt by Shauna Binsfeld (Cedarburg/Grafton) drove in pinch runner Emily Muche (Van Dyne/Winnebago Lutheran) and another single by LeBeau drove in two to extend UW-W's lead to 5-0.

UW-W went the next three innings without scoring any runs and managed just two hits.  Platteville mimicked UW-W's performance at the plate through that stretch but only tallied one hit.

The Pioneers defense went awry in the sixth as the Warhawks scored four runs on just one hit by virtue of four UW-P errors.  The inning started with a Jordyn Gaza (Mundelein, IL/Carmel Catholic) single to right center field.  Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo) followed with a walk and Binsfeld reached on a throwing error that allowed Gaza to score.  The following batter, Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove), reached on a fielder's choice which resulted in an error that plated Rankins.  An RBI ground out by Sarah Fisher (Greenfield/Greenfield) scored Binsfeld and another error on a LeBeau hit to center allowed Mertes to score the final Warhawk run of the inning.

Platteville finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth but only scored one run and was unable to overcome the eight-run rule that ends the game early.

Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka), earned the win and improved to 5-2, gave up just two hits while fanning ten Pioneer batters.  Stang ranked fourth in the WIAC for batters struck out entering Thursday's play.

UW-Platteville's lead-off batter homered in the bottom of the first to ignite the scoring in game two.  The Warhawks rallied back in the top of the third when LeBeau came through again with a two-RBI single.  UW-W extended the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Alli Driscoll (Beloit/F.J. Turner) that scored Rankins.

Platteville recaptured the lead in the bottom of the fourth when they scored four runs on four hits, but again the Warhawks battled back to take the lead at 6-5 after the top of the fifth.  In the inning Epifanio drove in one run on a double and Rankins drove in two on a single.

The persistent Pioneers tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homerun by Samantha Niemann, but the even more persistent Warhawks regained the lead in the following inning and never gave it up.  A three-run homerun by Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) proved to be the difference in the game.

Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More) came on to pitch the final three innings of the game to earn the victory and improve to 2-3 this season.  Boyle struck out seven of the twelve batters she faced and combined with the other hurlers, Stacy Bahr (Racine/Park) and Sammy Kessler (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North), to strikeout eleven.

For the doubleheader, five Warhawks totaled three hits apiece while Cruz notched four.  Those same six batters accounted for thirteen RBIs and twelve runs.

The Warhawks, winners of three straight, will return to action on Saturday, April 10 against Wheaton in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 in Whitewater.

For additional information, Brenda Volk