The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team claimed two wins in a doubleheader featuring two of the Great Lakes Region's top teams Friday at Lake Forest in non-conference play in Lake Forest, Ill.
The Warhawks (19-9 overall), ranked sixth in the region, started the day with a 7-3 victory before posting a 6-3 triumph in the second game against Lake Forest, the No. 3 ranked team in the region.
In the opener, UW-Whitewater took the lead in the first inning on a run-scoring groundout by junior shortstop
Meg Cohrs (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland), and doubled the advantage to two on a two-out, RBI double by senior centerfielder
Caitlin Catino (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) in the fourth.
The Warhawks doubled the lead again in the fifth on a solo home run by senior first baseman
Molly Ethington (Rock Island, Ill./Alleman Catholic) and an error by the Foresters (13-13).
After Lake Forest got on the board with a run in the bottom of the fifth, UW-Whitewater responded in the sixth with another solo home run, this time from sophomore designated player
Kaleigh O'Brien (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge).
The Foresters drew to within 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, but the Warhawks responded with two insurance runs on a two-run homer by senior left fielder
Kayla Seymour (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West).
Sophomore right fielder
Kaiden Jackson (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) led the offense with three hits and one run scored, and senior second baseman
Kelly Berglund (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) contributed two hits and two runs scored. Senior third baseman
Emily Rux (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) added two hits.
Junior
Bella Matthias (Greenfield, Wis./Greenfield) improved to 10-2 on the season by pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and four walks while striking out seven. Junior
Dani Biesiada (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) earned her third save of the season, not allowing a hit over the final 1 1/3 frames.
In the second game, UW-Whitewater took advantage of back-to-back big innings, plating two runs in the top of the third and three runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead for good.
Cohrs finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Berglund and Rux each tallied two hits and one run scored. O'Brien and Seymour plated one run apiece.
Senior pitcher
Julia Camardo (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) overcame a pair of Forester home runs in the second to pick up the win and improve to 7-6 on the year. She tossed five innings, striking out five. Biesiada posted her second save of the day and fourth of the season with two scoreless frames.
The Warhawks begin a busy final week of the regular season Monday, playing their first two of 10 games against Dubuque (Iowa). First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 3 p.m. at van Steenderen Softball Complex.
