Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The UW-Whitewater softball team split a pair of games with UW-La Crosse Thursday in La Crosse, winning game one 15-1 and losing game two 4-3.  The split drops the Warhawks to 27-7 overall and 10-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference where they are now tied for first with UW-Eau Claire.  The two teams will meet on the final day of regular season conference play to likely determine the regular season champion.  The regular season champion earns the right to host the WIAC tournament which features the top six teams in the conference with the winner earning an automatic berth into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III national tournament.  La Crosse falls to 20-7 overall and 5-7 in the WIAC.

After seeing the score of game one you wouldn't know the Eagles boast the lowest earned run average in the conference, 1.83.  The Warhawks blew up the scoreboard right away in the first inning with three runs, the first scored on an error and the next two on right fielder Samie Seamon (Antioch, IL/Antioch)'s triple to right center.

The Warhawks' Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More) gave up the only run of the game by the Eagles in the bottom of the third giving up three consecutive singles with one out.

The Warhawks doubled their run total to six in the in the top of the fourth to make it 6-1.  The first run of the inning came on a rare play when Darcy Foreman (Niles, IL/North) stole home.  An RBI double by Morgan Krisch (Plainfield, IL/Central) and an RBI single by Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew) accounted for the other two runs in the inning.

Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) homered for the seventh time this season in the top of the fifth to make it 7-1 and Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove) plated another in the top of the sixth to make it 8-1.

The Warhawks put the finishing touches on the game in the top of the seventh scoring seven more runs.  The inning featured a two-run homer by Shauna Binsfeld (Cedarburg/Grafton), an RBI double by AJ Grigsby (Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg), an RBI ground out by Sarah Fisher (Greenfield/Greenfield), a Kiersten Tinkoff (Lake Barrington, IL/Barrington) single that scored one, and another Epifanio moonshot that scored two.

The Warhawks totaled 19 hits in 39 at bats in game one and twelve different players accounted for at least one hit.  Epifanio led the charge going 3-for-5, driving in three and scoring three.

Not to be overlooked on the mound, Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More) turned in her tenth complete game this season.  She gave up just three hits and one run while walking four and striking out nine to improve to 12-3.

Game two saw the Warhawks squander a three run lead that led to the eventual loss.  UW-W jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Seamon homered with Laura Eichenold (Elmwood Park, IL/Trinity) on second.  Kirsch plated Eichenold again in the fourth with a single to left field to give the Warhawks a 3-0 lead.

Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle) held the Eagles scoreless for five and one third before giving up three in the bottom of the sixth.  The Eagles scored one on a double and two on a homerun by leadoff batter Katie Fink.

UW-W advanced runners to second and third with two outs in the top of the seventh but were unable to take the lead heading into the bottom half of the frame.

UW-W issued a free pass to the first Eagle batter and followed it with an error that put runners on first and third with no outs.  A fielder's choice on the next play got the runner out at home but left the Eagles with runners at first and second.  After another walk the bases were loaded.  The next batter was hit by a pitch and the Eagles won in walk-off fashion.

Very much the opposite of game one, at least offensively, the Warhawks recorded only seven hits.  Laura Eichenold (Elmwood Park, IL/Trinity) was 3-for-3 scoring two runs and Seamon was 1-for-2 notching two RBIs and scoring one.

The Warhawks and Eagles also split their regular season doubleheader in 2011.

The showdown between the Warhawks and UW-Eau Claire on Sunday, April 29 will happen after both teams play a doubleheader against conference opponents on Saturday.  The Blugolds will host Oshkosh, who is tied for fourth in conference play and whom the Warhawks swept on April 11, and the Warhawks will travel to Superior who is currently in eighth in the conference standings.  Sunday's game between the top two teams will take place in Eau Claire beginning at noon.

For additional information, Brenda Volk, UW-W head coach