Chicago, Ill. -- The UW-Whitewater softball team split a doubleheader at the University of Chicago Wednesday. The Warhawks won the opener 4-1 before falling in the nightcap 11-7. 

UW-Whitewater struck first with a two-out rally that saw two Warhawks touch home in the first inning. Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) tagged the first hit of the game on a single to the left side. Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) followed with a double to right field. Grace Grabowy (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) put the ball in play and put the pressure on the defense. A Maroon miscue allowed both Peshia and Giese to score on the play for an early 2-0 Warhawk lead. 

The bottom of the second featured the first web gem of the day - an unconventional double play. With runners on the corners and one out, a groundball was hauled in by Giese at shortstop. With a speedy runner on first, Giese went to first on the throw. Rachel Radish (Merton, Wis./Arrowhead) secured the out at first and threw a dart home as the runner from third broke. JJ Jakosalem (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) was set up perfectly, catching the throw and clipping the runner's foot on the tag as she tried to leap out of the way of the Warhawk catcher. 

In the bottom of the third the Maroons got on the board to pull within one, 2-1. UW-Whitewater immediately responded in the top of the next inning. A Chicago error had the Warhawks' leadoff runner on. In the next at bat, Maggie Ward (Downers Grove, Ill./North) laid down a perfectly placed bunt in front of the plate. Grabowy and the second baseman collided on the play, but Grabowy kept on running, motoring all the way to third as the umpire signaled for obstruction. Ward stole second in the next at bat to put two in scoring position. Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) drove in Grabowy on an infield single to push the lead back to two, 3-1. 

The final score of the opener came in the top of the fifth. Peshia sent a one out rocket toward the second baseman. The fielder made a good play, but an errant throw had Peshia safe at first. Belle Lapacek (Downers Grove, Ill./South) took over on the bases. Giese capitalized with a double to center that had the speedy Lapacek cruising around the bases and sliding safely into home for the 4-1 lead. 

Giese posted a pair of hits to pace the Warhawk offense in game one. Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) went the distance in the circle for her seventh win of the season. She struck out four and scattered five hits across seven innings of work. 

UW-Whitewater took a big lead early, capitalizing on a number of walks, to jump out to a 6-0 lead in the first. 

The Maroon offense got Chicago back in the game, taking the lead by the second 7-6. 

Grabowy laced a leadoff homerun that easily cleared the fence in left field to tie the game 7-7 in the third. 

The Maroons reclaimed the advantage with a four run, fifth inning for the 11-7 final. 

Baley Berndt (Wausau, Wis./East) and Maggie Ward (Downers Grove, Ill./North) had two hits each for UWW in the nightcap. Four Warhawk pitchers saw time in the circle with Kaitlyn Marsh (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) suffering the loss despite allowing just a single earned run in 3.1 innings of work. 

UW-Whitewater opens WIAC play Saturday at UW-La Crosse.