Winona, Minn. -- The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team opened the NCAA Division III Winona Super Regional with a 5-3 win over host Saint Mary's. The win marked the 800th on Head Coach Brenda Volk's career at UWW. 

The Warhawks set the tone early. Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) hit a rocket down the left field line, beating the third baseman for a leadoff single. Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) laid down a sacrifice bunt to push Eggert to third and Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) followed with a single to center to put runners on the corners. Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) blasted a deep ball straight back up the middle that even the center fielder turned to watch sail over the fence. 

The Cardinals, a small ball style team, plated two in the bottom of the first courtesy of three base knocks. 

That score held until the fourth when UWW got the offense going with two outs. Claire Kohnle (Tisch Mills, Wis./Kewaunee) sparked the bats with a hard single through the left side. JJ Jakosalem (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) followed with a soft liner that fell just inside the foul line in shallow left field. Kaitlyn Weidemann's (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) single to right field had Kohnle cruising around the bases. Volk sent her and Kohnle slid to the backside of home. The catcher put the tag on, but the umpire was signaling for obstruction. Kohnle's run counted on the call to give UWW a 4-2 advantage. 

The top of the seventh saw more two-out offense from the Warhawk bats. Eggert singled to center. The speedster was flying around the bases to score on Kostroski's double that went off the left fielder's glove near the wall. The run gave UW-Whitewater a three-run cushion heading into the bottom of the seventh. 

After a leadoff single down the left field line, Weidemann nearly robbed a second base hit. A blooper just over the infield toward the right field line had the second baseman laying out but it was just out of her reach. Brooke Hock (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) took over for Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) in the circle and got out of the inning with three consecutive groundouts. 

Eggert paced the offense with a 2-3 day at the plate while Wickman tallied three RBI on the bomb. 

Hammen got the start and the win tossing six innings to improve to 18-2 on the season. Hock shutout the Cardinals in the final inning for her eighth save of the season. 

The Warhawks return to the diamond in Winona tomorrow for game two of the three-game series at 1 PM. A third game will start at 3:30 if necessary Friday.