The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team wrapped up a tough three-day span with a pair of losses to the University of Chicago Saturday. In the team's fifth and sixth games in three days time, the Warhawks fell to the Maroons 2-0 and 4-2 at the van Steenderen Softball Complex.
UW-Whitewater struggled to bring runners around in the opener stranding six Warhawks on base in the contest. UWW posted four hits including two from
Maggie Ward (Downers Grove, Ill./North).
Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) and
Ally Dietz (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes Community) were credited with the other two in the game.
The Maroons plated the first run of the game in the top of the second on a RBI single and added a second run in the top of the third on a RBI base knock that just fell inside the third base line.
Kate Cleveland (DePere, Wis./Ashwaubenon) suffered the loss in the circle allowing two runs on five hits in 2.1 innings of work.
Chicago took an early lead in game two posting the first run on a successful squeeze play in the top of the first. By the third, the Maroons lead had grown to 4-0.
UWW got on the board in the bottom of the third with some nifty heads up base running from
Krista Sbarra (West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East). The speedster reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a one-out walk.
Taylor Koehler (Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda) put the ball in play with a grounder to second base. Sbarra rounded third as the second baseman tossed the ball to the shortstop on the fielder's choice and Sbarra took the opportunity to bolt home, sliding in safely.
The Warhawks cut into the gap further as the first two batters reached in the fourth.
Brooke Hock (Green Bay, Wis./Preble), who had come in for relief in the circle, helped herself out lacing a ball to centerfield for a single that drove in
Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) to make it 4-2. That was all UWW could muster in the inning as a Maroon reliever got out of the jam without allowing another run to cross the plate.
Sbarra led UWW at the plate going 2-3 with a run scored in the game.
Mallory Hollatz (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) suffered the loss allowing three runs on just one hit in two innings of work.
