The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team opened Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a pair of walkoff wins against UW-Platteville Friday afternoon at the van Steenderen Softball Complex. The Warhawks took game 4-3 before securing the sweep with a 5-4 win in the nightcap.
The Pioneers opened the scoring with a single run in the top of the first. From there it was all zeros on the scoreboard until the Warhawks changed their number in the bottom of the sixth.
Taylor Koehler (Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda) led off the frame with a single center field and
Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) followed with a single to left field.
Meghan Dunning (Plainfield, Ill./South) capitalized with one out sending a deep fly ball that easily cleared the wall in right center field for the three-run homerun and a 3-1 lead.
UW-Platteville responded with a homer in the top of the seventh and went on to knot the game later in the inning.
The Warhawks rallied with two down in the bottom of the seventh.
Maggie Ward (Downers Grove, Ill./North) singled to left field and Koehler registered the walkoff tagging a double to left for the 4-3 win.
Koehler was 3-4 at the plate with the game-winning RBI and Dunning went 2-3 in the batter's box with three RBI and a run scored.
Maddy Anderson (Waukesha, Wis./North) picked up the win with the first six innings of work. She struck out eight allowing five hits and a single earned run.
Brooke Hock (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) came in late for the save.
In the nightcap, the Pioneers took an early lead once again plating two runs in the top of the first. This time, UWW had the immediate response as Koehler drove in a pair in the bottom of the frame.
Delaney Becker (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) plated one more on a groundout in the bottom of the second to claim the lead for the Warhawks 3-2.
The next three frames went back-and-forth. UWP scored a single run in the top of the fifth. Dunning blasted her second four-bagger of the day to give UWW a 4-3 lead after six.
The Pioneers homered in the top of the seventh to knot the game, but UW-Whitewater got it done in the bottom of the frame.
Krista Sbarra (West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East) singled and advanced to second on a Pioneer miscue that had runners on the corners. Koehler drew a one-out walk. Kostroski stepped in to the box and battled to a full count. The pitcher readied, wound and released as Kostroski watched ball sail high for ball four and the walkoff win.
Ward, Koehler and Kostroski all tallied a pair of hits in the game to lead UWW offensively.
Hock pitched the final two outs to pick up the win and improve to 5-0 on the season.
