WHITEWATER, Wis. - The Rockford University softball team dropped a pair of highly-contested games on Thursday afternoon at #22 UW-Whitewater. Game one was a pitchers' duel between
Mariah Martinez and a bevy of Warhawk pitchers. All four runs were scored within a half inning of each other, but unfortunately, it was the Warhawks who struck for a trio of runs and then held on for a 3-1 win. The nightcap was an absolute slugfest that featured 16 total runs and 25 combined hits. Unfortunately, it was a pair of big innings for Whitewater that ultimately did the Regents in. The Warhawks plated three runs in the fourth and then four more in the sixth after Rockford had cut the UWW lead down to just one en route to the 10-6 victory.
Game 1
- The opener was a low scoring pitchers' duel between the Regents and Warhawks. Rockford University starting pitcher Mariah Martinez tossed her team-leading seventh complete game of the season and held one of the top teams in the country to just three runs.
- The game remained scoreless until the Warhawks broke through with three runs off four hits in the bottom of the third. The big hit came via a two-run triple from Maggie Ward to make it a 3-0 Whitewater lead.
- The Regents answered right back with run of their own in the top of the fourth. Rylee Klema led off the inning with a single and then moved to second on a wild pitch. One batter later, Enedy Perez laced an RBI single into center to make it a 3-1 game.
- Mariah Martinez held the Warhawks without a run over the final three innings to give her team a chance to chip further into the deficit and to try to tie the game.
- Unfortunately, Whitewater retired the final ten Regent hitters to preserve the 3-1 win in the opener.
Game 2
- The nightcap featured a lot more offense, as there was at least one run scored in every inning except the first.
- The Warhawks broke the scoreless tie with a single run in the bottom of the second on back-to-back doubles to take a 1-0 lead.
- Whitewater added two more runs in the bottom of the third, both on RBI doubles, to extend its advantage to 3-0.
- Just like in game one, the Regents got on the board with a single run in the top of the fourth. Jocelyn Callahan got things started with a leadoff double. Three batters later, Enedy Perez drove in Callahan with a two-out RBI single to cut the UWW lead down to 3-1.
- Unfortunately, Whitewater responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, including a Claire Kohnle leadoff home run, to push its lead up to 6-1.
- However, the Regents hit right back with three runs of their own in the top of the fifth. Alexis Schuldt and Makayla Howard reached via a single and walk to put runners on first and second with one out. One batter later, Olivia Lysaght crushed her first collegiate home run, a three-run blast, to pull Rockford back to within two at 6-4.
- Rockford got even closer with another run in the top of the sixth. Enedy Perez and Alexis Schuldt both singled in the inning, and then the Regents took advantage of a Warhawk error to cut the UWW lead down to 6-5.
- Unfortunately, Whitewater struck for four runs off four hits in the bottom of the sixth to tie its largest lead of the day at 10-5.
- Rockford was able to get a run back in the top of the seventh thanks to a Rylee Klema RBI single, but it was not enough, as Rockford fell by a final score of 10-6.
Game 1
Game 2
