The UW-Whitewater softball team is continuing to close the regular season with serious momentum, by winning five of its six games throughout the week.

The Warhawks played three doubleheaders in a row between April 24 and April 26.

Whitewater improves to 24-10 overall and 9-3 in the WIAC. It is tied for second place in the conference standings heading into its final weekend of competition in the regular season.

UW-W rebounded from an opening-game loss April 24 with a 5-1 victory against UW- Platteville in the second game of a WIAC doubleheader at van Steenderen Complex.

In the first game, the Warhawks ran up five errors in a 13-8 setback. In game two, senior pitcher Julia Camardo threw a complete-game, striking out seven without walking a batter. She improved her record to 8-6 on the year.

Senior center fielder Caitlin Catino finished 2-for-4 with one run scored and four RBIs.

“What we need to focus on is staying confident and just trying to get better every day,” said head coach Brenda Volk. “We can’t get caught watching the game. We have to anticipate things happening.”

The Warhawks took two victories home in their second straight doubleheader against regionally-ranked Carthage College April 25 on the road.

UW-W scored 10 early runs in the opening game and took game two with a score of 4-0.

Sophomore right fielder Kaiden Jackson tripled twice and scored two runs. Senior shortstop Emily Rux had two hits and two RBIs, and junior first baseman Mattie Klingenmeyer recorded a two-run single in the Warhawks’ big fourth inning for her two RBIs.

Senior left fielder Kayla Seymour finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and senior infielder Kelly Berglund scored two runs.

In the second game, neither team scored a run until the eighth inning, when Seymour hit the go-ahead run on a base hit to left center field. Jackson added an RBI single to send Seymour across the plate.

Seymour and Berglund combined for four of the team’s five hits in the game.

Junior right-hander Bella Matthias allowed only one hit and two walks while striking out nine over eight innings and improved to 11-2 on the year.

“We are trying to just take it one game at a time by winning each inning and each pitch,” said Matthias. “Each day we are getting better and learning from our past mistakes. If we continue to play like we can, then I am excited to see where we will go.”

In the team’s third doubleheader of the week, they took a pair of wins against WIAC foe UW-La Crosse at home with 7-0 and 3-0 shutouts.

In game one, Matthias had a no-hitter going through six innings and finished her third one-hitter of the year and eighth of her career. She collected eight strikeouts in her fifth shutout of the season.

“It is a great feeling to finally see my hard work pay off,” said Matthias. “I finally feel like I’m throwing like myself again and our defense has been making some amazing plays to save the shutouts.”

In the second game, Camardo and junior right-hander Dani Biesiada combined for a six-hit shutout.

Sophomore left fielder Vera Pflugradt hit a two-run home run down the left field line in the fourth inning.

Cohrs, Pflugradt and Catino recorded two hits apiece.

“These two wins were as big as we head into our final doubleheader against UW-Eau Claire,” said Volk. “Our pitchers threw very well, and we made some outstanding defensive plays, and I feel we are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment.”

The Warhawks close their regular season on the road at UW-Eau Claire April 28. They will need a two-game sweep to win the conference and earn hosting privileges for the WIAC Tournament that starts up next week.