Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team wrapped up its 2016 regular season with a doubleheader sweep of UW-Whitewater Sunday afternoon at North Campus Field.  The Eagles won the opener, 7-5, and the nightcap, 1-0, to improve to 25-12 overall and 10-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).  UW-Whitewater, ranked fifth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Great Lakes Region this week, falls to 24-12 overall and 8-5 in the WIAC.

With the doubleheader sweep, UWL earns the third-seed for the WIAC Championship May 6-8 at UW-Eau Claire.  The Eagles will face second-seed UW-Oshkosh Friday, May 6 at noon.  UW-Whitewater is the fourth-seed and faces fifth-seed UW-Stout at 10 a.m.  UW-Eau Claire captured the regular season title and receives a first-round bye.  The championship follows a double elimination format.  Click here for the WIAC Championship website.

UWL extended its winning streak to a season-long six games with Sunday's doubleheader sweep.  UW-Whitewater took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first in the opener as Lauren Janczak and Emily Rux scored on a two-out Nikki Mikosz single.  The Warhawks made it 3-0 with an unearned run in the third as Janczak scored on a Mallory Klotz single.

The Eagles cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the third after Emily Holldorf singled and scored on Ashley Lindstrom's two-run home run.  UW-Whitewater tallied single runs in the fourth and fifth to take a 5-2 lead.  Michayla Swanson scored on a Klotz single in the fourth while Rux came in on Caitlin Catino's fielder's choice in the fifth.

UWL rallied for five runs on five hits and two UW-Whitewater errors in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. Brittany Baldwin, Megan Nelson and Holldorf singled to start the inning to load the bases.  After a strikeout, Emilie Wiltzius drew a bases-loaded walk to score Baldwin and cut the Warhawks' lead to 5-3.  After a pop-out for the second out of the inning, Sydney Schemenauer singled to knock in pinch-runner Brooke Baldwin and Holldorf to tie the game.  The Eagles scored the go-ahead run as pinch-runner Jenna Jaquish scored on a UW-Whitewater throwing error. As UWL's Erin Maletzke stole second, the Warhawks' threw down to second, but nobody covered the base with the throw going into center field.  Maletzke later scored on the second UW-Whitewater error of the inning to give UWL a 7-5 lead.  Maletzke was in between third and home on an Alecia Faber single, but as she broke for home, the Warhawks couldn't field the ball at the plate.

UW-Whitewater stranded two runners in the sixth and left the bases-loaded in the seventh to end the game.

Heather Grelle (4-1) earned the win for UWL, pitching 1.0 in relief.  She allowed one unearned run and two walks.  Katie Klein picked up her 11th save of the season, going 2.0 innings, allowing four hits and one walk with two strikeouts. The Eagles totaled nine hits in the opener as Holldorf finished 3-for-4 with two runs.  Lindstrom and Schemenauer each had two RBI.

Julie Camardo (14-4) suffered the loss for UW-Whitewater, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs and two walks with eight strikeouts. The Warhawks totaled 10 hits with Klotz finishing 2-for-4 and an RBI.  Mikosz finished with two RBI.

Caitlyn Hughes (9-2) earned the complete-game two-hit shutout in Sunday's 1-0 nightcap victory for UWL. She went 7.0 innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out six.  Hughes did not allow a hit until Klotz singled up the middle with one out in the top of the sixth.

UWL scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the second as Wiltzius doubled and was replaced by pinch-runner Brooke Baldwin.  Sydney Murphy's groundout advanced Baldwin to third.  After Schemenauer reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners, Faber's sacrifice fly scored Baldwin to make it 1-0.

The Eagles finished with five hits in the nightcap with Murphy finishing 2-for-3.

Stephanie Waller (7-5) took the loss for UW-Whitewater, going 6.0 innings, allowing five hits and one run with one strikeout. Klotz and Janczak each had a hit for the Warhawks.

UWL returns to action Friday, May 6 at noon versus UW-Oshkosh in the WIAC Tournament.