Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Warhawk softball team, ranked fifteenth in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, took two from UW-Stout Saturday afternoon winning the first game 3-2 and the nightcap 14-8 to remain unbeaten in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, 8-0. Whitewater is now 25-5 this season. Stout falls to 14-16 overall and 4-6 in the WIAC.

Photo Gallery (Courtesy of Andrew Smith, available for purchase)

Stout took the lead with a run on two hits in the top of the first inning.  Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South), the Warhawk cleanup hitter, led off the fourth with her sixth home run of the season to tie the game 1-1.

UW-W loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but the Blue Devils got the first out of the inning on a fielder's choice at home plate.  The next batter hit a fly ball to the infield, and it looked like UW-S might get out of the inning.  Eichenold dashed those thoughts with a double to left center that pushed across the winning runs for UW-W.

Centerfielder Mimi Ramirez (Chicago, IL/Trinity) went 2x4 for UW-W and rightfielder Jessica Behnke was 2x3 for lead Stout batters.  Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More), 10-2, allowed four hits and one walk with five strikeouts for Whitewater.  Laura Vanderhoof, 10-7, took the loss with two innings of relief work for the Blue Devils.
 
The Blue Devils struck first again in game two after a lead off double came around to score on a single by the next batter.

Whitewater came back with eight runs in the bottom of the second. Samie Seamon (Antioch, IL/Antioch) led off the inning with a double down the left field line and came in to score on an errant throw on the pickoff attempt to tie the game 1-1. A one out single from Shauna Binsfeld (Cedarburg/Grafton) was followed up by a homerun off the bat of Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew) to give the Warhawks a 3-1 advantage. Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove) singled after the pitching change and Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) notched a two-out homer over the center field fence to put UW-W up 5-1. Epifanio reached on an error and Eichenold moved her to second with a single. Seamon doubled a run in in her second at bat of the inning and another single from Morgan Krisch (Plainfield, IL/Central) in the next at bat scored two more making the score 8-1 after two complete innings.

Stout put the pressure on scoring four in the top of the third and two more in the top of the fourth to come to with one, 8-7 after three and a half.
Whitewater provided some breathing room with a run in the bottom of the fourth, three more in the bottom of the fifth and two in the bottom of the sixth to take a 14-7 lead. The three-run fifth was bolstered by another Evangelista homer, her second of the game that scored all three for the Warhawks in the inning.

The Blue Devils had a solo shot in the top of the seventh but the UW-W defense finished out the game strong and took the game 14-8.

McGrail went 3x3 from the plate with a homerun and double adding three runs scored and three RBIs. Evangelista was 2x5 from the batter's box with two homeruns, two runs scored and five runs batted in. Four additional Warhawk hitters posted multi-hit games.

Boyle picked up the win in the game, her second 'W' of the day, pitching 3.1 innings of one hit ball with two strikeouts. The right hander is 11-2 this season.

UW-Whitewater will host another WIAC twinbill Sunday, with UW-River Falls visiting van Steenderen Field for action getting underway at 12:00.

For additional information:  Brenda Volk, UW-W coach