Clutch hitting and defensive plays put the UW-Whitewater softball team into the Super Regional round of the NCAA Division III tournament Saturday.
The Warhawks overcame a 3-2 deficit with five unanswered runs to defeat host team Case Western Reserve University 7-3 to win the regional championship. The victory was the Warhawks’ 15th in their last 16 games.
“We are very excited to be advancing,” UW-Whitewater coach Brenda Volk said. “We played very well this weekend, especially defensively with so many different people contributing.”
UW-Whitewater will take on St. Mary’s (Minn.) University in the best-of-three Super Regional series at Winona, Minnesota that starts Thursday.
Grace Wickman’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth capped the scoring Saturday for the Warhawks, who will take a 38-6 record against St. Mary’s (42-4).
The Warhawks’ No. 9 hitter Kaitlyn Weidemann went 3-for-3 and drove in the first two runs of the game with a bases-loaded single up the middle that scored Auburn Roberson and Claire Kohnle.
Weidemann was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the regional. The sophomore second baseman went 5-for-9 with two runs scored and four RBI in the three games.
“Kait had a great weekend,” Volk said. “She had some huge at-bats and nice defensive plays. She has done a great job for us in the 9 hole all season.”
Warhawks starter Josie Hammen, Wickman and Dani Peshia were named to the All-Tournament team.
Case Western Reserve took the lead with a three-run fourth inning off Hammen.
Brooke Hock came in and pitched four scoreless innings in relief to earn the victory and improve to 7-1 on the season. Hock pitched a combined nine innings in relief in the Warhawk victories Friday and Saturday.
“Brooke has been our closer for the past few years and has done an amazing job,” Volk said. “She is throwing with a lot of confidence.”
With 15 victories in the past 16 games, the same can be said about the entire team.
UW-WHITEWATER 7, CASE WESTERN RESERVE 3
Case Western Reserve 000 300 0—3 7 0
UW-Whitewater 020 212 x—7 8 0
Leading hitters—CWR: Ashley Miller 2x2; Whitewater: Kaitlyn Weidemann 3x3. 2B—Claire Kohnle (UWW). HR—K. Gross (CWR), K. Lamm (CWR), Grace Wickman (UWW).a
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so)—CWR: L. Miskey (L) 4 1/3-4-5-5-6-4, K. Hosey 1 2/3-4-2-2-0-1; UWW: J. Hammen 3-4-3-3-1-1, B. Hoch (W, 7-1) 4-3-0-0-2-0.
CASE WESTERN RESERVE DIVISION III REGIONAL
At Mather Park, Cleveland, Ohio
(Double elimination)
RESULTS THURSDAY
Game 1—UW-Whitewater (No. 1 seed) 5, Penn College (No. 4 seed) 0
Game 2—Case Western Reserve (Ohio) University (No. 2 seed) 10, Lebanon Valley (Pennsylvania) College (No. 3 seed) 2
RESULTS FRIDAY
Game 3—UW-Whitewater 7, Case Western Reserve University 6 (8 innings)
Game 4—Lebanon Valley 5, Penn College 1 (Penn College eliminated)
Game 5—Case Western Reserve 7, Lebanon Valley 1 (Lebanon Valley eliminated)
RESULT SATURDAY
Game 6—UW-Whitewater 7, Case Western Reserve University 3 (UW-Whitewater advances to Super Regional play)
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