Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 UW-Whitewater, ranked tenth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III poll, dropped a pair of games in Oshkosh Tuesday, losing 3-2 and 2-0.  UW-W is 20-3 overall and 3-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  UW-Oshkosh improved to 17-5, and 4-0 in league play.

Game 1
The first game of the doubleheader between UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh ended with a walk-off single by the Titans in the eighth inning.

The Warhawks struck first, pushing across one run in the second inning.  Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) led off the inning with a double to center field, Courtney Smith (St. Charles, IL/North) came in to pinch run for Epifanio, and Smith advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Samie Seamon (Antioch, IL/Antioch). Smith scored on the next play, a RBI ground out by Laura Eichenold (Elmwood Park, IL/Trinity). to give UW-W a 1-0 lead. 

Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More), the starting pitcher for the Warhawks in game one, started off the game strong with no runs and three strikeouts through four innings. Oshkosh's first run came in the fifth inning when a Kassie Krueger single to center tied the game, 1-1.

The game remained tied until the seventh inning.  UW-W broke the tie when junior Chelsey Schobert (Belmont/Belmont) singled to center to score Joanne Jablonski (Palatine, IL/Palatine), giving the Warhawks a 2-1 lead.

The Whitewater lead did not last long, as the Titans tied it up, 2-2, in the bottom of the seventh on a home run by second baseman Lindsey Luedke.

It only took one extra inning for the Titans to end it, on a single by Taylor Loew that scored Tess Fadness from second base for the 3-2 win.

Starting pitcher Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More), 10-1, went the first seven innings for Whitewater, giving up six hits, two earned runs, and striking out four with two walks.  Courtney Wautier pitched all eight frames for Oshkosh, also giving up two earned runs.  Wautier allowed seven hits, three walks, and struck out one.

Seamon led UW-W batters with two of the Warhawks' seven hits.  Catcher Katie Koepsel went 3x4 for the Titans.

Game 2
UW-O's Jill Vondrak silenced the Warhawk bats in game two.  The junior righthander took a no-hitter into the sixth, and retired the first two batters before the string was broken. 

Oshkosh scored a run in the fourth, with Luedke hitting her second round-tripper of the day for a 1-0 Titan lead.  UW-O added a second run in the fifth, on sophomore catcher Katie Koepsel's solo homer.

Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle), 10-2, took the loss for Whitewater, going the first five innings and allowing three hits, including the two that left the yard.  Houda walked three, struck out three and hit two batters. 

Whitewater's only threat in the game came in the seventh, when Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew) singled with two outs.  Mimi Ramirez (Chicago, IL/Trinity) followed with a single to put runners on first and second, but Vondrak closed the door.

Wednesday's doubleheader against Illinois Wesleyan has been cancelled as the Warhawks gear up for more road games. UW-W is set to travel to Dubuque Thursday for a doubleheader against the University of Dubuque beginning at 3:00. Whitewater will face UW-Stout and River Falls Saturday and Sunday with both doubleheaders to be played in UW-Stout's football stadium.


TF/ak