Clermont, FL -- The UW-Whitewater softball team opened the 2025 campaign with a pair of wins at The Spring Games Sunday. The Warhawks won the battle of the hawks against Coe 9-1 in five innings before taking down the Storm before the storm 5-4 in nine.
The Kohawks struck first with a single run in the top of the first. UWW responded in the bottom of the frame to generate momentum that carried throughout the contest.
Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) led off the bottom of the first with a walk and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches.
Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) drew a one-out walk before stealing second to put a pair of Warhawks in scoring position. With two outs,
Brooke Mangler (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) tagged a ball down the right field line that plated two for the first RBIs of 2025 and an early 2-1 lead.
UWW doubled-up in the second.
Claire Kohnle (Tisch Mills, Wis./Kewaunee) walked to open the inning. On
JJ Jakosalem's (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) sacrifice bunt, Kohnle cruised all the way to third, catching the defense sleeping. Eggert slapped one through the defense on the left side to score one and stole second during the next at bat. She moved up 60 more feet on a wild pitch. Giese drew a one-out walk. She stole second, drawing a throw from the catcher and allowing the speedy Eggert to score from third to give the Warhawks a 4-1 lead.
Kohnle got things going in the fourth with another leadoff walk. UWW scored two more in the frame, capitalizing on a pair of Kohawk miscues.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Erin Grimsley (Itasca, Ill./Montini Catholic) and
Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) drew walks to open the inning. Kohnle laid down a bunt and a throwing error plated one. During the next at bat, Kohnle got in a run down between first and second to allow Roberson to cross home for an 8-1 lead.
Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) took one for the team,
Belle Lapacek (Downers Grove, Ill./South) beat out a hard shot in the hole for an infield single and
Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) walked to load the bases. After a pitching change,
Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) singled to left field for the walkoff win.
Eggert was 2-2 with three runs scored, an RBI and a walk to pace the Warhawk offense.
Rhiann Dick (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) went the distance fanning four while allowing five hits in five innings of work to pick up her first win of the season.
UW-Whitewater took an early lead in game two against Simpson. Eggert got the game started with a walk and moved up to two on a wild pitch. Kostroski drew a walk in the next at bat. Giese put the ball in play and a throwing miscue allowed Eggert to fly around third and score for a 1-0 lead.
The Warhawks added one more in the fourth before the Storm cut the margin in half with a single run in the bottom of the fifth. UWW plated two in the top of the seventh on Peshia's single through the left side.
Simpson battled back to tie the game with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to send game into extras.
Utilizing the international tie breaker rule in extras, neither team was able to push a run across in the eighth.
In the ninth, Giese opened the inning on second base and advanced to third on a groundout. Peshia picked up her third RBI in as many innings with a single to left field to give UWW a 5-4 lead.
The Storm opted for a sacrifice bunt to push their runner to third to open the bottom of the ninth.
Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) sat down the next batter with a looking strikeout. She forced a groundout to end the game.
Kostroski, Giese, Peshia and Roberson all registered two hits in the game.
Madi DeBennette (Wadsworth, Ill./Carmel Catholic) got the start and allowed just two hits in the first 4.2 innings while striking out three. Hammen tallied the win after tossing 2.2 innings of no-hit ball while fanning three.
UW-Whitewater is back in action Monday against Scranton and Springfield in a doubleheader at Legends Way starting at 9 AM ET.
