RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The No. 13 Warhawk softball team swept UW-River Falls in a doubleheader courtesy of stellar pitching and opportunistic offense. UW-Whitewater won the opener 3-1 and wrapped up the away series with an 11-0 six-inning victory in the nightcap. 

The Falcons opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the first inning of the first game but the Warhawks would respond in the next half inning. 

Senior Paige Evangelista (Wheaton, IL/North) sent a long fly ball to center field that carried over the fielder's head for a two-out double. Sophomore Hayley Morelli lined the ball into the gap in left center to bring in Evangelista from second and knot the score 1-1. 

After three scoreless innings, freshman Michayla Swanson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) stepped to the plate in the middle of an at bat due to an injury. She drew a walk and on the first pitch of the next plate appearance, Evangelista went yard, oppo-style, for the two-run homer to give the Warhawks the 3-1 lead. 

Senior Bekka Houda (Lisle, IL/Lisle) sat the Falcons down in order in the bottom of the sixth and the UW-Whitewater defense stranded a runner in the bottom of the final inning to seal the win. 

Evangelista led the Warhawks with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate scoring two runs and notching two RBI in the win.

Houda went the distance on the mound for the complete game win to improve to 7-2 this season. The righty struck out seven while walking one and allowing four hits. Houda retired 12 consecutive Falcon batters from the third through the sixth inning.

Game Two Recap
Three big innings on offense for UW-Whitewater in game two led to a shortened game win courtesy of the run-rule. 

Once again it was Evangelista at the plate who jump started the offense. The senior catcher beat out a grounder to second for an infield single. In the next at bat, sophomore Mackenzie Price (Spring Green/River Valley) tagged a high pitch that got up and out of the park to straight center quickly giving UW-Whitewater a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Hannah Taylor (Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard South) went with an outside pitch in her plate appearance sending the ball deep to right field and off the fence for a stand up double. With first base open, the Falcons opted to intentionally walk senior Jo Jablonski (Palatine, IL/Palatine) and senior Kelynn Sporer (Chilton/Chilton) loaded the bases with another walk but UW-River Falls got out of the jam. 

In the top of the fourth, Swanson won a hard fought battle in her at bat to draw a lead off walk. Evangelista executed the sacrifice bunt perfectly to move Swanson to second. Morelli's hard grounder sneaked under the glove of the diving second baseman and into the outfield to score Swanson from second. After a break in action for a pitching change, Price's short pop up in the infield was left to land and spin out of bounds but the ball never crossed the foul line for the infield single. A wild pitch put both Warhawks in scoring position for pinch hitter Caitlin Snyder (Burlington/Catholic Central). The senior put the ball in play to third and aggressive baserunning by UW-Whitewater put pressure on the River Falls defense and forced an error by the catcher for another run. 

Senior rightfielder Deven DuCharme (Hudson/Hudson) re-entered the game for Snyder on first base and stole second in the next at bat. Taylor delivered a one-out single up the middle to plate two but was thrown out trying to advance to second on the play. Jablonski kept the inning alive with another single up the middle. With two outs and a full count, Sporer's sky ball to center field just stayed in the field of play for a stand up RBI double to give the Warhawks a 7-0 lead after three and a half innings. 

Junior Morgan Parise (Sheboygan/North) stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter to lead off the top of the sixth with a single through the left side. She hustled to second and slid in safely under the tag after a Falcon miscue. Erika Husted (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley), another Warhawk pinch hitter, was hit in her at bat and Taylor re-entered the game to run at first base. Jablonski drew another walk with a full count to load the bases with no outs forcing another pitching change. 

Sophomore Amy Ricci (Gurnee, IL/Warren Township) rocketed a hot shot up the middle and into center to plate one run and keep the bases juiced for Swanson. The freshman connected for a double to left center on a line to bring in two more. Freshman Maddie Drain (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge), the Warhawks third pinch hitter of the inning, drew another walk and the bases were loaded once again. Price kept the inning alive with a single up the middle that was slowed down by the Falcon pitcher but not enough for River Falls to make a play allowing the fourth Warhawk of the inning to touch home. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Sporer knocked down a liner back at the mound and flipped the ball to the outstretched glove of Ricci at first base for the first out of the inning. The righty registered the next out on another grounder and Swanson ended the game in style with a diving catch on a line drive up the middle to seal the win. 

Sporer pitched a gem for the complete game one-hitter with three strikeouts to improve to 6-1 on the mound for the Warhawks. The righty never allowed a Falcon passed second base in the game.

Price led UW-Whitewater at the plate going 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored in the game. 

The Warhawks will head to Stevens Point to take on the Pointers Wednesday for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. UW-Whitewater will host UW-Superior and UW-Eau Claire for a four-game homestand Saturday and Sunday. Doubleheader action both days is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.