Whitewater, Wis. -- The UW-Whitewater softball team split with North Central Sunday at the van Steenderen Softball Complex. The Warhawks took game one 4-0 before falling in the nightcap 4-2. 

UW-Whitewater struck first plating the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. Liv Ybarra (Chicago, Ill./Taft) opened the frame with a single to left field and advanced on a groundout. With two outs, Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) put the ball in a play and a Cardinal miscue allowed Ybarra to motor around third and slide safely into home for a 1-0 lead. 

The Warhawks added another run in the next inning. Kaitlynn Weidemann registered an infield single, stole second and came in to score on an Ally Dietz (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes Community) single to right field. 

North Central threatened in the top of the fifth loading the bases on a bloop single, a bunt single and a Warhawk miscue - with no outs. UWW pitcher Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) got out of the jam as third baseman Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) snagged a hot shot down the line. Hammen struck out the next batter and Ybarra made a nifty sliding catch in right field to end the inning. 

Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) led off the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle. With one out, Wickman drove an inside pitch deep over the left field wall for a two-run blast and a 4-0 advantage.

Hammen sent the Cardinals back to the dugout in order in the sixth and faced one over the minimum in the seventh to seal the win. 

Kostroski registered a pair of hits while Wickman tallied two RBI to lead the UWW offense. Hammen picked up the win in 4.2 innings of relief work. The sophomore struck out six while scattering three hits to improve to 6-1 on the season. 

North Central flipped the script in game two plating two runs on four hits in the top of the second. The Cardinals capitalized on small ball to add one more in the top of the third to extend the lead to 3-0. 

The Warhawks got on the board courtesy of a fielder's choice as Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) scored in the bottom of the third to make it 3-1. 

After NCC pushed the gap back to three, 4-1 in the sixth, UW-Whitewater's Claire Kohnle (Tisch Mills, Wis./Kewaunee) responded with a no-doubter in the bottom of the frame. The solo homer narrowed the gap to two, 4-2, but the Cardinals defense held for the win. 

Five different Warhawks posted hits in the contest with Kohnle's homerun and a Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) double leading the charge. 

Madi DeBennette (Wadsworth, Ill./Carmel Catholic) suffered the loss to move to 4-1 on the season.