The waiting begins.  UW-Whitewater, ranked eighth in the NFCA Division III poll, was eliminated from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with a 5-2 loss to league champion UW-River Falls in River Falls, Wisconsin Saturday.  The Warhawks, 24-9, lost to UW-Eau Claire 6-3 Friday in the first round of the double elimination tourney.  UW-RF, 2-0 in the tournament and 24-13 overall, will play again Saturday at 4:00.  River Falls earned the right to host as the regular season champion.  The WIAC Tournament winner receives the league's automatic berth in the NCAA III championship tournament, which begins play Thursday, May 12 or Friday, May 13.  UW-W will await word of a possible at-large berth when the national field is announced Monday.

box score

River Falls took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the second.  Amanda Ryder singled to left center to lead off the inning.  Alyssa Black reached on a fielder's choice on her bunt, and then both moved up two more bases, Ryder scoring, on a Warhawk throwing error.  Jessie Bester hit a ground ball that UW-W used to catch Black trying to score, and Bester moved to second on the play.  With two outs Dana Book clubbed her sixth home run of the year to make it 3-0 River Falls.

Whitewater looked like the big break was coming in the sixth.  Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) doubled to start the inning, and Laura Eichenold (Elmwood Park, IL/Trinity) singled to put two on with no outs.  UW-RF junior righthander Rose Tusa, the WIAC leader in strikeouts (Whitewater's Jessica Stang (Minnetonka, MN/Minnetonka) is second), then struck out the next three batters to end the threat and keep UW-W off the board.

Hayley Buchanan singled to lead off the last half of the sixth.  Black singled to center with two outs, putting runners at second and third.  Bester singled in Buchanan and runners moved up to second and third on the throw home.  Pinch hitter Patty Olson walked to load the bases.  Book hit a grounder that UW-W misplayed, allowing Black to score, although UW-W retired the side when a second Falcon runner tried to score on the play.  River Falls led 5-0 after six.

After having a rally snuffed in the sixth and seeing the Falcons add to their lead in the sixth, it would have been easy, maybe even expected, if UW-W had gone meekly in the seventh.  But anyone that tried to get a jump in the concession line missed the Warhawks' comeback.  Kate McDonnell (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) started things off with a leadoff double.  Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove) laid down a bunt single to make it first and third for Whitewater, and Mimi Ramirez (Chicago, IL/Trinity) also placed a bunt single that loaded the bases with no outs.  Lauren Rankins (Marengo, IL/Marengo) grounded out to third to advance everyone one base and put Whitewater's first run on the board.  The Falcons walked UW-W cleanup hitter, Epifanio to load the bases again.  Eichenold brought in run number two with a ground ball to make it 5-2 to leave the bases loaded with two outs.  The Warhawks' last batter grounded to third base, all three ground balls in the inning were hit to third, for the final out.

UW-W out-hit River Falls 8-6, with Mertes and Ramirez collecting two hits each.  No batter for UW-RF had more than one hit, although Buchanan was 1-1 with two walks. 

Tusa, 17-6, went the distance for River Falls, walking two and striking out nine.  Stang, 19-5, pitched the whole game for UW-W, giving up just one earned run while walking three and striking out five while continuing to add to her numerous entries in the UW-Whitewater record book.

And the waiting begins.

For additional information:  Brenda Volk, UW-W coach