The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team opened their 2023 campaign with a pair of wins over Southern Maine. The Warhawks won the opener 3-1 and took the nightcap 4-2 in eight innings. 

The Huskies opened the scoring in game one plating a single run on a hopper up the middle. The Warhawks responded scoring one in each of the next three innings. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) ripped a liner that bent inside the right field line as she motored all the way to third. Sydney Anderson (Delavan, Wis./Delavan-Darien) put the ball in play registering an RBI groundout to knot the game 1-1. In the fifth, Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. She moved up to third following a dropped third strike that forced a throw down to first base and eventually scored on a fielder's choice. 

Wickman plated the final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) on second base, Wickman launched a ball to right field. The high fly ball was carried by the wind out of the reach of the right fielder for an RBI triple to give UWW a 3-1 lead. 

Maddy Anderson (Waukesha, Wis./North) picked up the win in her first start for the Warhawks fanning seven over five innings of work. Mallory Hollatz (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) and Ava Kostecki (Indian Head Park, Ill./Lyons Township) came in for the final two innings of relief. 

UW-Whitewater had the first bats in game two as the visitors on the scoreboard. Similar to the first game, it took a few innings for the teams to break into the scoring column. 

In the top of the sixth, Maggie Ward (Downers Grove, Ill./North) led off with a single to left center and moved up 60 feet on a wild pitch. Taylor Koehler's (Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda) two-out single up the middle had Ward crossing home for the 1-0 lead. Southern Maine came back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Two miscues on the same play allowed the first run to come in followed by a RBI single to right field. UWW got the batter out attempting to advance to second with perfect throws from Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) in right field and Kostroski behind the plate as Meghan Dunning (Plainfield, Ill./South) tagged the sliding Husky at second to halt the inning. 

Down to their lost out in regulation, the Warhawks rallied. Liv Ybarra (Chicago, Ill./Taft) ripped a liner toward second that wasn't handled by the second baseman to put a runner on. Belle Lapacek (Downers Grove, Ill./South) took over on the base paths for Ybarra advancing all the way to third on Krista Sbarra's (West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East) single down the right field line. Ward drew a walk to load the bases and a wild pitch allowed Lapacek to score to tie the game 2-2. 

In the bottom of the frame, Brooke Hock (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) struck out the first batter she faced and later got out of the inning with two runners on with a fly out and a pop out sending the game into extra innings. 

Playing the international tiebreaker rule with the last batter starting the inning on second, Dunning trotted out to two as Kostroski stepped up to the plate. She drew a walk and then both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. 

After two consecutive outs, Becker dropped a perfectly placed ball over the shortstops head and into left center allowing both runners to cross home. A flyout to center had the Warhawks back out on defense holding a 4-2 lead. 

The runner on second didn't bother the defense as Hock struck out the first Husky looking, forced a pop out in foul territory that Kostroski hauled in and ended the game with another strikeout. 

Kate Cleveland (DePere, Wis./Ashwaubenon) got the start in the circle and put in a fantastic six innings of work. Hock picked up the win in two innings of relief striking out three and allowing a single hit.