Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4 CHICAGO, Ill. - The UW-Whitewater softball team beat Benedictine twice Sunday to advance to the NCAA Division III Super Regional hosted by Illinois Wesleyan Friday-Saturday May, 16-17. The Warhawks won the first championship game 7-5 and topped the Eagles 5-2 to win the regional and advance. UW-W is 35-10 this season.

UW-Whitewater Regional Website
Photo Gallery will be posted when available

Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew), named regional's most outstanding player, got the Warhawk offense going in the second game with a homer to left center. Morgan Krisch (Plainfield, IL/Central) made it back-to-back jacks sending a change up over the fence in center field to give UW-W a 2-0 lead.

Benedictine cut the lead in half in their half of the inning with a round-tripper of their own.

Jo Jablonski (Palatine, IL/Palatine) led of the top of the fifth with a single to center. Samie Seamon (Antioch, IL/Antioch) homered to left center to put the Warhawks ahead 4-1. Whitewater would add a run in the top of the sixth for insurance.

The Eagles did not go quietly with a single run in the bottom of the inning but the UW-W defense held on for the win.

Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle) picked up the complete game win on the mound for the Warhawks. She went the distance allowing five hits while striking out four.

In the first game of the day, it was a Samie Seamon (Antioch, IL/Antioch) triple that bolstered a five run sixth inning that put the game out of reach for the Warhawks.

UW-W posted 11 hits in the game including a 3-for-4 performance from McGrail with a run scored and an RBI. Seamon and Krisch each had two hits and combined for two runs and four RBI.

Kelynn Sporer (Chilton/Chilton) picked up the win on the mound going 7.0 innings allowing six hits.

More information regarding the super regional will be posted when available.

Sunday Recap
CHICAGO, Ill. - With the scored knotted 2-2, Mimi Ramirez (Chicago, IL/Trinity) led off the top of the seventh inning with a triple to right center. The Warhawks went on to score two in the seventh en route to a 4-2 win over Thomas More Saturday evening at Stagg Field in Chicago. The Warhawks advance to play Benedictine Sunday at 12 pm in the regional championship.

UW-Whitewater Regional Website
Photo Gallery courtesy of Angela Kelm

Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew) followed Ramirez' triple with a fielder's choice to second base. The throw went home but Ramirez slid in safely. Morgan Krisch (Plainfield, IL/Central) singled to the shortstop to put two runners on. A fielder's choice put runners on the corners with one out and Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) bounced back from an error in the previous inning with an RBI single to right center. 

In the bottom of the inning, TMC singled but a ground ball on the next play went to Eichenold at shortstop. She fired to McGrail who toe-touched second and threw to first for a 6-4-3 double play. Kelynn Sporer (Chilton/Chilton) put the finishing touches on the win with a strike out.

Evangelista led UW-W at the plate going 2-for-3. 

Sporer picked up her second win of the day, coming in for 2.1 innings of relief allowing two hits.

Saturday Game One vs. Chicago Recap
CHICAGO, Ill. - A four-run sixth inning surge ended the pitcher's duel and led the Warhawks to a 4-0 win over the University of Chicago at Stagg Field in Chicago Saturday afternoon. 

Samie Seamon (Antioch, IL/Antioch) opened the inning with a single to the shortstop. Mimi Ramirez (Chicago, IL/Trinity) put the pressure on the defense with a sacrifice bunt and the throw to first went wide allowing the runners to advance to second and third. Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew) gave Whitewater the lead with an RBI single up the middle to put runners on the corners. With one out, Amy Ricci (Gurnee, IL/Warren Township) reached on another UC miscue that allowed another run to cross the plate. Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) drew a walk to load the bases. With two-outs and the bases loaded, Jo Jablonski (Palatine, IL/Palatine) drew a walk to bring in a run. The third error of the inning for Chicago made the score 4-0 in favor of UW-W.

Kelynn Sporer (Chilton/Chilton) threw the complete game shutout allowing just four hits while striking out two and walking two. 

The Warhawks totaled just three hits in the game but took advantage of the untimely Maroon errors and walks in the game. 

UW-Whitewater will face Thomas More Saturday at 4 pm.

Friday Recap
CHICAGO, Ill. - The UW-Whitewater softball team fell to Benedictine University 4-2 in their opening game of the NCAA Division III Regional hosted by the University of Chicago Friday evening. The Warhawks will face the Maroons Saturday at 1:30 pm.

UW-Whitewater Regional Website 

UW-W was in limbo earlier in the day as weather forced the projected start time back twice. The Warhawks posted the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) notched a one-out double to left field. Laura Eichenold (Elmwood Park, IL/Trinity) followed with a single to center that brought Evangelista around to score to give Whitewater the 1-0 lead. 

The Eagle bats heated up in the top of the fourth. Benedictine scored three runs on five hits to take a 3-1 lead in the game. That was all BU would need. The Benedictine added an insurance run in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to 4-1. 

Kelly McGrail (Tinley Park, IL/V.J. Andrew) opened the bottom of the sixth inning with a leadoff homer over the left field fence to pull UW-W within two, 4-2. The Warhawks threatened again in the bottom of the seventh with Eichenold leading off the inning with a single up the middle. A fielder's choice left one runner on first and a BU miscue in the next at bat put runners on first and second with one out. The Eagles forced a groundout and pop out to end the threat and register the win.

McGrail and Eichenold each went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate for UW-W. Junior righthander Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle) went 4.1 innings on the mound allowing 11 hits while striking out three in the loss. 

PREVIEW (5/5/2014)
The UW-Whitewater softball team, ranked twenty-third in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, will travel to Chicago to compete in a 2014 NCAA Division III Regional hosted by the University of Chicago May 9-11. 

UW-Whitewater Regional Website || Chicago Regional Website

The Warhawks, 31-9 this season, defeated UW-La Crosse 5-1 to win their second consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title and berth into the NCAA DIII tournament. UW-W earned the program's ninth WIAC title and sixth tournament championship in history this season. Whitewater will be making its 18th appearance in the NCAA tournament and eighth under head coach Brenda Volk.

The Warhawks' will open NCAA play against Benedictine University (32-11), an automatic qualifier out of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Eagles upset top-seeded Aurora 5-2 in the NACC tournament to earn their berth.

The University of Chicago (25-8) will take on Thomas More (30-10) in more first round action in Chicago Friday. Both teams were at-large selections into the NCAA tournament this season. 

The NCAA has implemented a new format for the 2014 Division III Tournament. The 62-team field has been assigned to 14 four-team regional sites and two three-team regional locations. The winners of each regional will advance into the Super Regional set for May 16 and 17. The eight teams left standing after the Super Regional will head to Tyler, Texas for the NCAA Division III Championship May 22-27 hosted by the University of Texas-Tyler. Each round of play is double-elimination format. 


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