Despite tallying four home runs, the Benedictine University softball team dropped their first game of the NCAA DIII Softball Regional on the road at University of Wisconsin Whitewater on Saturday afternoon, 6-5.

 
Benedictine 5, UW Whitewater 6
 
 
• The Eagles were originally scheduled to face Whitewater on Friday afternoon, but heavy rains kept the teams from playing
• Whitewater was first to score, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning after tallying three hits
• Benedictine responded in the third inning when Angie Malsack homered to center field, also scoring Breanna Sobotka who singled to lead off the inning
• Courtney Grasz collected the Eagles second home run of the game to give BenU a 3-2 lead
• The Warhawks took back their lead in the bottom of the frame with three more runs off of four hits
• In the sixth inning, Jenna Boyajian and Elena Sakellaropoulos both tallied home runs to tie the game at 5 a piece
• Whitewater took the lead in the sixth with a run of their own
• In the seventh, Malsack doubled to left field to keep the Eagles hopes alive, but it wasn't enough as BenU would fall to Whitewater 5-6
 
 
Malsack: 2-3, 1 run, 2 RBI
Grasz: 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
Sakellaropoulos: 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI
Boyajian: 1-3, 1 run 1 RBI
Becky Karlinski (23-8): 6 earned runs, 11 hits, 3 strikeouts, 6.0 innings pitched

 
"I am incredibly proud of the way these girls came to play today," said head coach Kate Heidkamp. "It was so great to see them bounce back early in the game. We have a senior class of nine girls and in this sport you can see maturity so easily and this game does not faze them. We haven't looked past this game, so tonight we will look at Trine and see what we are up against. I know these girls have what it takes to come back from this loss."


 

 
Benedictine looks to keep their NCAA playoff hopes alive on Sunday afternoon when they take on Trine University at 1:30 p.m. Trine was defeated by Coe 12-2 in the first game of the Regional.