Photo and Comments Courtesy of Bob Mischka

Emilia Houwers qualified for the State tennis tournament by placing third in the Janesville Craig Sectionals on Wednesday, April 14. The State Meet will be held at Badger High School on April 22 and 23 this year.

(UW-Whitewater submission) Olivia Kraft, a native of Whitewater, WI, and student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, was one of four Warhawks who were named Kwik Trip Athletes of the Week by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the week of April 5-11, 2021.

Donovan Brandl (Rudolph, Wis./Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln) is the Warhawk baseball team’s third different Pitcher of the Week for the 2021 season. Brandl is a first-time honoree. Gracie Holland (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) of the women’s track and field team, the Women’s Field Athlete of the Week, is the program’s first selection of the 2021 season.

Paige Nierman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson) and Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community), the Women’s Tennis Athletes of the Week in doubles, have now garnered the award twice in 2021. The duo was also recognized for their performance from March 22-28.

Baseball – Pitcher

Donovan Brandl (Rudolph, Wis./Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln), Freshman

Brandl didn’t allow a run over two appearances last week, helping the No. 16 Warhawks to a 4-0 record. He started the week Tuesday with a scoreless inning of relief, striking out two in UW-Whitewater’s 9-5 victory on the road. Three days later, he tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out eight in the Warhawks’ 15-0 home triumph in seven innings. Brandl also finished 7-for-21 (.333 avg.) with three doubles and four runs batted at the plate over that span.

Women’s Field

Gracie Holland (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield), Freshman

Holland placed first out of 15 competitors in the pole vault with a career-best height of 12-02.00 (3.71 meters) to help the Warhawks place third at Dubuque’s Spartan Invite on Saturday. She is currently tied for the No. 1 mark in both the WIAC and NCAA Division III and was only two feet shy of the UW-W program record in the event. Holland also scored team points in the long jump, placing fifth with a distance of 16-10.75 (5.15 meters), good for 15th on the conference’s outdoor performance list.

Women’s Tennis – Doubles

Paige Nierman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson) Senior, and Olivia Kraft (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community), Junior

Nierman and Kraft posted a 2-0 record in doubles matches last week to help UW-Whitewater remain undefeated (4-0) in the WIAC and extend its unbeaten streak against conference opponents in dual matches to 106. The duo topped Michelle Spicer and Maddie Toboyek 8-1 at No. 1 doubles last Tuesday at UW-Oshkosh, helping the Warhawks post a 9-0 win. Four days later, Nierman and Kraft combined for an 8-0 triumph at No. 2 doubles over Emily Cooper and Alexa Brooks of UW-Eau Claire in UW-Whitewater’s 9-0 victory at Lake Geneva Tennis. Nierman and Kraft are now 4-2 playing together during the 2021 season.

For more than 150 years, UW-Whitewater has provided students with the education and training to begin their careers with a solid foundation behind them. The UW-Whitewater is committed to the development of the individual, the growth of personal and professional integrity and respect for diversity and global perspectives. These are met by providing academic and co-curricular programs that emphasize the pursuit of knowledge and understanding and a commitment to service within a safe and secure environment.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Game 1 Box Score: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/softball/2021/sb15.htm

Game 2 Box Score: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/softball/2021/sb16.htm

After a 17-day layoff between games, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team saw its seven-game win streak snapped Wednesday before recovering in the second game for a doubleheader split against UW-Platteville in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at van Steenderen Softball Complex.

The Warhawks (11-5 overall, 1-1 WIAC) suffered their first home loss of the season in the opener by a 7-6 score before closing the day with a 6-3 triumph in the nightcap.

In Game 2, right fielder Meghan Dunning smashed a two-run homer to left, and catcher Nikki Mikosz added a solo home run of her own as part of UW-W’s three-run fourth inning.

Pitcher Rhiann Dick earned the win, allowing two earned runs over 4 2/3 innings to improve to 3-2 on the season. Annie Morelli picked up her first save of the year, tossing the final 2 1/3 innings and allowing one run.

Dick and Morelli combined to strand 11 Pioneer runners, including three in the fifth inning and two in the second, third and sixth frames.

Mikosz put UW-Whitewater on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI groundout. In the fourth, Dunning hit her two-run shot on an 0-2 count, and, one batter later, Mikosz hit one high over the left-center field fence on the 10th pitch of her at-bat.

After UW-Platteville (7-7, 2-2) plated two runs in the fifth, the Warhawks got both runs back in the bottom of the inning as third baseman Meg Cohrs hit an RBI double to center field. First baseman Kaleigh O’Brien, who walked earlier in the frame, scored from third on a wild pitch with two outs to increase the lead back to four.

The Pioneers cut their deficit to three in the top of the sixth, but Morelli retired the potential tying run on a groundout to end the inning, and tossed a 1-2-3 seventh to complete the win.

Cohrs and Mikosz totaled two hits apiece to lead the offense. O’Brien reached twice with one hit and one walk and scored two runs.

In Game 1, UW-Platteville broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the sixth by crossing home plate three times. UW-Whitewater drew to within one after a run-scoring groundout from shortstop Sophia Kinjerski and a two-out, RBI single through the right side by designated player Kennedy Cox.

The Warhawks put the tying run at third with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to send the game to extra innings.

Dunning and second baseman Delaney Becker each registered two hits, and Becker knocked in a pair of runs. Outfielder Vera Pflugradt reached base twice on one hit and one walk and scored one run.

Starting pitcher Kate Cleveland scattered eight hits over four innings, allowing three earned runs. Reliever Marissa Adams fell to 0-1 on the year in the loss, pitching 1 1/3 innings. Annie Morelli tossed the final 1 2/3 frames.

UW-Whitewater visits UW-Oshkosh for another WIAC doubleheader Thursday. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.

Box Score, Game 1: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/baseball/2021/bb16.htm

Box Score, Game 2: https://static.uwwsports.com/custompages/baseball/2021/bb17.htm

The No. 13 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team combined strong pitching and timely hitting Wednesday afternoon for a pair of wins at UW-Platteville in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader.

The Warhawks (15-2 overall, 9-1 WIAC) trailed for the first four innings of the opener before emerging with a 5-1 victory, and took an early lead in Game 2 on their way to a 7-0 triumph.

In the nightcap, left fielder Matt Korman batted in the first four runs of the game, knocking a two-run single to right center in the top of the second and a two-out, two-run double to left center in the top of the third.

Right fielder Jacob DeMeyer gave UW-W a five-run lead with a run-scoring double in the fourth, and centerfielder Zach Campbell drove home a pair with a two-out base hit in the fifth.

Matt O’Sullivan improved to 5-0 on the year after tossing eight innings, allowing three hits while striking out 14 hitters, the fifth-most in one game in program history. Kade Lancour sustained the shutout with a scoreless ninth.

Korman finished 3-for-4 with one run scored and four RBIs. Shortstop Nick Santoro registered two hits and two runs scored, and infielder Sam Vomhof reached base twice with two hits and one walk and scored two runs.

In Game 1, the Pioneers (8-10, 4-6) took the lead in the bottom of the first before the Warhawks plated two in the fifth and three in the sixth.

From there, starting pitcher Westin Muir and reliever Ben Muscatello held UW-Platteville at bay. Muir (4-0) allowed four hits and one walk while striking out nine over eight innings of work. Muscatello pitched around a one-out triple in the bottom of the ninth for a shutout inning to close out the contest.

Shortstop Nick Santoro and designated hitter Ben Wilkins each collected two hits, one run scored and one RBI. Catcher Ian Drays also finished with two hits.

Korman and DeMeyer each plated one run in the game.

UW-Whitewater hosts UW-Platteville Saturday for a conference doubleheader. First pitch at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium is set for 1 p.m.