MENOMONIE, Wis. - The UW-Whitewater softball team overcame a slow start against UW-Stout's ace on the mound to register an 11-0 shortened game win and an 8-3 victory in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener Thursday afternoon. The Warhawks, ranked 13th in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, blasted 24 hits and 19 runs in 12 innings to improve to 13-3 on the season. 

Sophomores Amy Ricci (Gurnee, IL/Warren Township) and Hayley Morelli each notched career performances Thursday. The pair combined to go 8-for-11 from the plate including four doubles and a homerun with nine runs batted in on four runs scored in two games. Ricci registered three doubles and a homer in five plate appearances. 

After three scoreless innings, the Warhawk hitters made their adjustments at the plate and broke open the game in the top of the fourth. Ricci got the offense going with a two-out double to right center. Junior Maggie Hansen (Algonquin, IL/Jacobs) drew a walk and senior Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) put the pressure on the defense causing an error by the shortstop to load the bases.  Morelli stayed true to her position with a single up the middle that scored two. Sophomore Hannah Taylor (Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard South) notched a single to right field in the next at bat to bring another Warhawk across the plate. Freshman Mallory Klotz (New Berlin, Wis./West) made it back-to-back-to-back hits for UW-Whitewater with a single up the middle that plated the Warhawks' fourth run of the inning. 

Senior right-hander Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle) got out of a bases loaded jam with a strike out to bring the offense back to the plate. 

Senior Jo Jablonski (Palatine, IL/Palatine) tagged a double to center field to open the inning and was replaced on the base paths by sophomore transfer Jessica Kaemerer (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way West). Senior Kelynn Sporer (Chilton/Chilton) beat out an infield single to the shortstop to put runners on the corners. Sporer stole second to put two runners in scoring position with Ricci headed to the batter's box. The sophomore came up clutch again belting another double, this time to left center, for two more RBI forcing a pitching change by the Blue Devils. Senior Caitlin Snyder (Burlington/Catholic Central) registered a pinch-hit single to left field. Morelli kept the inning going with a one-out single to left field plating one more. Taylor's infield groundout brought in another Warhawk and Klotz lifted one over the centerfielder's head for an RBI double. 

With two outs, Deven DuCharme (Hudson/Hudson) singled and Maddie Drain (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) loaded the bases with a walk as a pinch hitter. Sporer brought in the Warhawks' final two runs of the inning with a single to centerfield to give UW-Whitewater the 11-0 lead. 

A lead off single to left field was stranded at second by Houda and the Warhawk defense to end the game early (5 innings) via the run-rule. 

Twenty Warhawks saw the field in the first game. Morelli had a career day at the plate going 3-for-3 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Sporer added a 3-for-4 performance in the batter's box with a run scored and two RBI. Klotz and Ricci each notched multiple hits in the game. 

Houda went the distance on the mound for the complete game shutout. The senior struck out six, walked two and allowed four hits for her fourth shutout in eight appearances this season. Houda is 6-2 on the season. 

Game Two Recap
UW-Whitewater's bats stayed hot to open the second game. The Warhawks scored in five of the seven innings of the game keeping the pressure on the UW-Stout pitching staff and defense. 

DuCharme speed caught Stout off-guard and forced an infield error to put a runner on for UW-Whitewater with one out. Jablonski reached on another Blue Devil miscue and Sporer loaded the bases with a single. Ricci tagged a shot to left field on a line that could not be handled by the leftfielder to bring in DuCharme from third and keep the bases loaded. Hansen followed suit with another fly ball, this time to the opposite field that plated Jablonski to give UW-Whitewater a 2-0 lead. 

Sporer took the mound on defense and blanked the Blue Devils courtesy of three consecutive groundouts in the bottom of the inning and the Warhawks headed back to the dugout on offense. 

Morelli continued her stellar day at the plate with a double to left field and was replaced by Kaemerer on the bases. Coach Brenda Volk went with some small ball, a bunt and a slap-hit ground out, to bring in Kaemerer and take a 3-0 advantage. 

UW-Stout plated a run in the bottom of the third to make it 3-1 UW-Whitewater. 

In the top of the fifth, Jablonski sent a ball to deep left field for a stand up double. Ricci, having her best day at the plate this season, traded places with Jablonski on another double, her third of the day. 

Stout responded with a single run in the bottom of the inning but the Warhawk offense had already set the cruise control. 

Evangelista rocketed a ball to left center for a double to open the sixth. After a groundout, Taylor hit the sweet spot and sent a high fly ball sailing over the fence in left center. 

Similar to the sixth inning, Sporer reached on an infield single and Ricci put the finishing touches on her outstanding day in the batter's box with an opposite field homer that easily cleared the fence in left center. 

Ricci went 2-for-2 with a double, four-bagger and four runs batted in to lead the Warhawk offense. 

Sporer picked up the complete game win on the mound striking out three to improve to 5-1 on the year. 

UW-Whitewater will head to River Falls for another twinbill Friday afternoon before heading back to Whitewater. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.