The UW-Whitewater softball team, ranked 13th according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, swept Dubuque 8-1 and 9-2 Thursday afternoon in Whitewater. The Warhawks combined for 23 hits on the day led by senior Jo Jablonski (Palatine, IL/Palatine) with a 5-for-7 day at the plate including two homeruns, a double, a triple, five runs batted in and four runs scored. 

An early Warhawk miscue put the Spartans on the board with a run in the top of the first.
 
UW-Whitewater responded in their half of the first frame. Senior Deven DuCharme (Hudson/Hudson) drew a one-out walk and stole second base. Jablonski got ahold of one sending the ball off the fence in right field for a stand up RBI triple. Sophomore Amy Ricci (Gurnee, IL/Warren Township) notched a two-out single up the middle to plate Jablonski from third and give the Warhawks a 2-1 lead.
 
After two and a half scoreless innings, junior Maggie Hansen (Algonquin, IL/Jacobs) led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to right field and was replaced on the base paths by junior Courtney Smith (St. Charles, IL/North). A passed ball allowed Smith to move into scoring position with no outs. Sophomore Hannah Taylor (Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard South) tagged a hard liner straight at the left fielder for a single to put runners on the corners with two outs.  Freshman Mallory Klotz (New Berlin, Wis./West) drew a walk to load the bases but the Spartans were able to get out of the inning without allowing a run.
 
After a quick top of the fifth, the Warhawks headed back for the batter's box. Jablonski led off the inning with a single up the middle. Senior Kelynn Sporer (Chilton/Chilton) showed bunt for the sacrifice but pulled back on four balls for the walk. A little flare off Ricci's bat fell in no man's land in center field to load the bases with no outs. Hansen's ground ball went off the diving second baseman's glove for a base hit plating two Warhawks for a 4-1 lead.
 
DuCharme's rocket to center field put a runner on first with one out for UW-Whitewater. Jablonski followed with a long fly ball that easily cleared the centerfield fence for her sixth homerun of the season to extend the Warhawk lead to 6-1.
 
Sporer and Ricci drew back-to-back walks. Hansen hit into a fielder's choice to the third baseman where Sporer got in a run down but the senior stayed in the pickle long enough for Ricci to move to third and Hansen to get to second. Sophomore Haley Morelli (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein) drew a pinch-hit walk to load the bases with two outs in the inning.
 
Senior Caitlin Snyder (Burlington/Catholic Central), connecting well all game, sent a liner over the left fielder's head and to the fence for a double to bring in two more and widen the gap to 8-1.
 
Sophomore righty Steph Waller picked up her second win on the mound this season going the distance with three strikeouts without allowing an earned run in the game.
 
Jablonski led UW-Whitewater with a 3-for-4 performance including a triple and homerun with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Hansen added a 2-for-4 game at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. 

Game Two Recap
The Warhawks stranded three Spartans on base in the top of the first inning to head to the plate for their first at bats of the nightcap with no score.
 
Klotz got the offense going right away with an infield single on a drag bunt and advanced to second on a wild pitch. DuCharme singled through the right side bringing in Klotz for the first run of the game.
 
Jablonski followed with a rocket to left center that one-hopped the fence for a double to hit for the cycle in the doubleheader. Sporer cleared the bases with her fourth homer of the season on a full-count, laser to left center to give the Warhawks a 4-0 lead.  UW-Whitewater totaled four runs on five hits in their first frame of the game.
 
Sophomore hurler Cara Smoczynski (Aurora, IL/Rosary) got out a bases loaded jam with a strikeout and a fly out in the top of the second to bring the Warhawks back to the plate.
 
Taylor opened the bottom of the inning with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a groundout and scored a single up the middle by DuCharme.  After two complete innings, UW-Whitewater held a 5-0 advantage.
 
The Warhawks had bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth with no outs but were unable to add any runs to their tally for the game.
 
Dubuque got on the board for the first time on a two-run shot to left center in the top of the sixth.
 
Jablonski and the Warhawks responded with a two-run round-tripper in the bottom of the inning. DuCharme led off with an infield single and Jablonski sent the third pitch of her at bat sailing over the fence in right field for her second homer of the day to give UW-Whitewater a 7-2 lead.
 
Jessica Kaemerer (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way West), the centerfielder after a defensive switch earlier in the game, drew a walk in her first plate appearance and Ricci kept the offensive action going with a hard liner up the middle for a single.
 
Senior Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Mackenzie Price (Spring Green/River Valley), another change on the defensive side from earlier in the contest, tagged a two-out double to right center to plate to runs and extend the UW-Whitewater lead and seal the 9-2 win.
 
Smoczynski picked up her second win on the mound this season going 5.1 innings with two strikeouts.
 
The Warhawks posted 12 hits in the game led by DuCharme's 3-for-4 performance with two runs batted in a two runs scored. Jablonski went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs and Ricci added another multi-hit performance for UW-Whitewater.
 
The Warhawks will host Chicago Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. for the team's annual alumni day. UW-Whitewater will close the weekend with a doubleheader against St. Norbert College Sunday beginning at 12 p.m.