Platteville, Wis. -- The UW-Whitewater softball team split a WIAC twinbill at Platteville Wednesday afternoon. The Warhawks took the opener 9-1 before falling in the nightcap 13-1 in five innings.
The UWW bats were hot out of the gate in game one.
Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) sparked the offense with a leadoff infield single and moved up 60 feet on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from
Maggie Ward (Downers Grove, Ill./North). A fly out allowed Eggert to advance to third.
Rachel Radish (Merton, Wis./Arrowhead) capitalized with a hard hit ball up the middle for a RBI single.
Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) tagged a ball to left center for a double as Radish motored around the bases for a 2-0 Warhawk lead.
The Pioneers responded with a single run in the bottom of the frame but that was all
Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) and the UW-Whitewater defense would allow. Meanwhile, the offense kept rolling.
The Warhawks threatened in the second and third before adding three runs in the fourth.
Grace Grabowy (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) opened the frame with a walk. Eggert showcased impressive bat control with a bunt single and Ward loaded the bases with a walk.
Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) got on the double train with a two-bagger down the left field line that plated a pair. Radish followed with a four-pitch walk to load the bases once more. All of the Warhawks moved up a base on a Giese single to right field to extend the margin to 5-1.
The fifth saw three more runs added to visitor side of the scoreboard. Grabowy got things going once again, this time with a leadoff single down the left field line. Eggert and Ward drew back-to-back walks before Peshia's sacrifice fly brought in the first run of the inning. Two batters later, Giese blasted a double off the center field wall for two RBI.
The final run of the contest came in the top of the seventh as Ward touched home on Radish's sacrifice fly.
UWW blasted 13 hits in the game with Giese registering three with four runs batted in. Eggert, Peshia and Grabowy each posted a pair of hits in the game.
Hammen went the distance, striking out six while allowing a single run in the complete game victory.
UW-Platteville's high-powered bats got going in game two as the Pioneers scored four in the second inning. UWW came back with one in the top of the third, but the home squad responded with a big bottom of the frame.
Eggert, Ward and
Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) tallied hits in game two.
Kaitlyn Marsh (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) suffered the loss in the circle to move to 4-3 on the season.
UW-Whitewater will wrap up the regular season at UW-Eau Claire Saturday. The Warhawks are third in the WIAC standings heading into the final weekend of conference play. The top six teams in the league will advance to the WIAC Tournament slated for May 8-9.
