Whitewater, Wis. -- The Warhawks picked up a pair of big wins in conference play in an exciting day at the van Steenderen Softball Complex Tuesday. UW-Whitewater took the opener 16-15 before registering the sweep with a 5-4 win in the nightcap.
UWW scored in every inning of game one taking a 13-1 lead into the fifth. In the opening frame, the Warhawks capitalized on costly miscues for the Pioneers. After
Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) singled to lead off the game, UW-Platteville should have been out of the inning in the next three at bats, but errors extended the frame and UWW took advantage. Two runs came in on a two-out dropped popup and
Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) followed with a two-run bomb to give the Warhawks a 4-0 lead.
The second inning saw six Warhawks touch home.
Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) had the big hit in the frame with a three-run homer to left field.
In the third, it was Kostroski's turn for the long ball as she launched a two-run no-doubter to center field. Peshia reached on an error in the bottom of the fourth and was replaced on the base paths by
Belle Lapacek (Downers Grove, Ill./South). Two batters later,
Taylor Koehler (Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda) drove her in with a pinch single to left center for the 13-1 lead.
Facing a run-rule in the top of the fifth, the Pioneer offense exploded. A leadoff homer sparked a 10-run inning with seemingly every ball falling UWP's way. Still, UWW got out of the inning on a line out to right fielder
Liv Ybarra (Chicago, Ill./Taft), but the lead was cut to two, 13-11.
Ybarra and Kostroski drew back-to-back walks in the bottom of the frame and
Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) doubled in a run to extend the margin to 14-11.
The Pioneer power offense struck again with a solo homer in the sixth, but the Warhawks responded with a pair in the bottom of the inning. Ybarra singled in one run while Kostroski put the ball in play allowing a run to come in on a fielder's choice for a 16-12 advantage.
UW-Platteville put the pressure on once again plating a run with one out. After loading the bases, a single brought in one more and a sacrifice fly narrowed the gap to one, 16-15, with two outs and a runner in scoring position.
Brooke Hock (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) forced a groundout to third base for the final out of the game.
More than 35 players saw action in the game that had a combined 31 runs on 33 hits including 10 for extra bases. Eggert paced the offense with a 4-5 game at the plate with three runs scored. Giese and Kostroski each registered three RBI.
Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) picked up the win to improve to 11-1 in the circle. Hock registered the save, her fifth of the season in the final 2.1 innings of work.
Hammen would be back in the circle in game two - closing out the game after a phenomenal performance by
Rhiann Dick (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) through the first 5.2 innings. Dick kept the surging Pioneer offense off of the bases with a two-hitter through four innings. She improved to 4-1 with the win in the circle.
Meanwhile, the Warhawk offense continued to roll.
Maggie Ward (Downers Grove, Ill./North) tagged a one-out single to left and moved up to second on a Kostroski walk. A fielder's choice pushed Ward to third and Giese shot a single through the left side to give UWW a 1-0 lead in the first.
Claire Kohnle (Tisch Mills, Wis./Kewaunee) opened the second with a double to left center and
JJ Jakosalem (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) took one for the team to put the first two runners on for UWW. A throwing error plated both runs to push the gap to three, 3-0.
A hit batter and walk had Wickman and Giese on base with no outs in the third. The pair moved up 60 feet on a wild pitch and Peshia sent a rocket to left center for a two-RBI double and a 5-0 UWW lead.
That advantage held until the sixth when the Pioneer bats came to life. UWP used four hits to score four runs when Hammen entered and got the final out of the inning on a pop up.
The Pioneers got a runner on in the seventh but the UWW defense held for the win.
Eggert was 2-3 while Giese was 2-2 to bolster the Warhawk offense in the game.
