Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater pitching duo of Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More) and Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle) ran their string of scoreless innings to thirty-four with a doubleheader sweep of UW-Platteville Friday, winning 4-0 and 4-1 at van Steenderen Field in Whitewater.  The thirteenth-ranked Warhawks are 26-3 overall and 9-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  UW-Platteville is 8-16, and 2-10 in league play.

photo gallery (courtesy of Crystal Meyer, available for purchase)

Whitewater scored the winning run in the second inning of game one.  Samie Seamon (Antioch, IL/Antioch) tripled to center field, and came in to score on an error by the Platteville catcher after a throw to the plate from center field.

The Warhawks added insurance in the fourth, scoring three times.  Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South) led off with a walk and was replaced on the base path by Courtney Smith (St. Charles, IL/North).  Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) walked.  Smith advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Smith scored on Seamon's fielder's choice, with Seamon also safe and Evangelista moving over to third.  Seamon stole second, and Evangelista scored on a ground ball, with Seamon advancing to the corner.  Seamon tallied the third run of the inning on a fielder's choice, and error on the Pioneer catcher to give Whitewater a 4-0 lead.

Boyle, 13-1, went the distance in game one, pitching a four-hitter, all singles, in running her personal shutout streak to twenty-one innings.  She struck out the side in the second, and the Pioneers had runners on first and third in the sixth but were thwarted by a diving catch by Mimi Ramirez (Chicago, IL/Trinity) in left, and loaded the bases in the seventh.  Boyle struck out five and walked three and hit one batter in lowering her earned run average to 1.30.

Like Platteville, UW-W collected four hits, two by Seamon to lead both teams' batters.  Melissa Anderson, 4-9, went the first four innings for Platteville to take the loss.  Jeni Freibruger pitched two innings of two hit ball.

As in game one, UW-W produced the only run it would need early, this time in the bottom of the first.  Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove) singled with one out and moved to second when the next batter, Morgan Krisch (Plainfield, IL/Central) singled.  Epifanio made it three straight hits, doubling to center to score Mertes.

Krisch led off the bottom of the third inning with a home run to right center, her fifth of the year, giving her a team high 26 runs batted in for Whitewater.

In the fourth Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew) and Ramirez singled, Mertes sacrificed them up a base, and Evangelista brought them home with a two out single to increase UW-W's lead to 4-0.

Platteville finally ended Whitewater's shutout streak with a run in the top of the sixth.  Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle) yielded two singles, a fielder's choice and a hit batter as the Pioneers broke into the scoring column. 

Houda, 13-2, gave up four hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.  No Pioneer had more than one hit.  Whitewater's offense totaled 11 hits off Freiburger, 3-7, who started and went three innings, and Anderson, who finished up.  Epifanio led all batters with a 3x4 game, with Krisch and McGrail collecting two hits apiece.

UW-W will host UW-Eau Claire Saturday.  The twinbill will begin at 2:00 at van Steenderen Field.  The date is also UW-W's annual alumni day, senior day (Megan Smith (Elgin, IL/St. Edward Catholic), Sarah Fisher (Greenfield/Greenfield), Emily Epifanio (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South), Katie Boyle (Greendale/Thomas More), Amanda Mertes (Des Plaines, IL/Elk Grove)) and A Day for Autumn, raising funds to support the specialized care for the infant daughter of former Warhawk Lindsay (Cambridge) Markos.




TF/ak