From University of Chicago Athletics
The University of Chicago softball team opened its home portion of the schedule with a 4-2 loss and a 6-4 win against visiting University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Sunday.
The Maroons moved to 11-4 on the season and the Warhawks went to 10-5.
Game One – Wisconsin-Whitewater 4, UChicago 2
UChicago rallied late to get onto the scoreboard, but couldn't make up the four-run deficit in the first game of the day. UWW freshman pitcher Julia Camardo was on point in the pitching circle and limited the Maroons to only three hits over six innings. However, the Maroons rallied back in their final at-bat of the game.
Down 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh, UChicago junior third base Maggie O'Hara drew a walk and freshman first base Carly Schulz singled up the gut to put two runners on. Freshman designated player Colleen Bennett stepped to the dish and came through with a big two-out single to center field that scored both players. Camardo then retired the final batter to give the Warhawks the 4-2 victory.
UWW scored once in the second and third innings and twice more in the fourth. The visitors scored on a double in the second inning and three singles in the other frames.
Sophomore pitcher Molly Moran took the loss to run her record to 3-2 on the season. She threw the opening 6.1 innings with eight hits, four runs, two walks and two strikeouts to her credit. Freshman Jordyne Prussak entered in the seventh inning with two runners aboard and got out of the inning with no runs allowed thanks to an infield flyout and a fielder's choice.
The Maroons finished with five hits and one error. Bennett was 2-for-3 with two RBI while fellow freshman outfielder Serena Moss went 1-for-2.
Game Two – UChicago 6, Wisconsin-Whitewater 4
The home side took some of the seventh-inning momentum from the previous game and turned it into a first-inning explosion in game two. UChicago's offense jumped all over UWW as the first five batters all reached base. Senior outfielder Devan Parkison walked to leadoff the contest and got to make the slow trot to home plate when senior shortstop Kristin Lopez launched a two-run homer to straight-away left field.
Subsequent singles by O'Hara and Schulz put runners on the corners. Then the Maroon duo enacted a perfectly-executed double steal, with O'Hara swiping home and both runners remaining safe. Freshman outfielder Maeve Garvey singled and stole second next, while senior pitcher Jordan Poole helped herself with a RBI sacrifice fly to deep left field in foul territory.
The score moved to 6-0 by the end of the third inning. Schulz plated O'Hara with a single to right and Parkison's infield single brought Poole in.
The Warhawks shaved into the lead in the top of the fourth with a two-run double to deep right. A flyout prevented the other two runners in scoring position from advancing. That was all the visitors would get until the top of the seventh when they drew closer with a two-run homer over the right field fence. Poole buckled down from there and locked down the win with a final infield groundout to earn the 6-4 victory.
The Maroons offense finished with 11 hits, led by O'Hara's three hits in four at-bats. Schulz and Garvey both hit 2-for-4. Poole (2-2 record) hurled all seven innings and struck out five. Her final pitching line included eight hits, four runs and four walks.