After three losses to UW-Eau Claire so far this season the UW-Whitewater softball team won when it mattered most, defeating the Blugolds 7-0 in an elimination game at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball tournament in Oshkosh on Sunday.  The Warhawks most recently suffered a loss at the hands of Eau Claire on Saturday in the WIAC tournament by a score of 2-1.  The loss for UW-EC ends their season with a record of 21-21.  The Warhawks won their 30th game of the year and are now 30-14.

Box score
Conference Tournament Website
Photo gallery (Gallery contains photos from day two of the WIAC tournament)

A six-run second inning for UW-W put the game virtually out of reach for Eau Claire.  Five consecutive singles, starting with Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South), plated one, and a bases loaded triple by Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove) scored three more.  An RBI double by Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo) and an RBI single by Lauren Cruz (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) gave the 'Hawks a 6-0 lead.

Another RBI double, this time by Jordyn Gaza (Mundelein, IL/Carmel Catholic), in the top of the fifth scored Kate McDonnell (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) and extended UW-W's lead to 7-0.

Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka) pitched her fourth consecutive game at the WIAC tournament and her second consecutive one-hit shutout.  Stang improves to 16-7 this season and 3-1 at the WIAC tournament.  According to the UW-W record books, this is the first time in school history that a UW-Whitewater pitcher has thrown back-to-back one-hit shutouts.  This is the sixth one-hitter that Stang has thrown in her career and she had two no-hitters earlier this season in back-to-back games.

UW-W moves on to face UW-La Crosse at approximately 1:30 pm at the Oshkosh Sports Complex in the first of what could potentially be two championship games.  La Crosse has not yet lost in the double-elimination tournament and UW-W needs to beat them two times in a row to claim the WIAC tournament championship and an automatic berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III softball championship beginning on May 13.

For additional information, Brenda Volk