The UW-Whitewater baseball team won their thirteenth and fourteenth consecutive games by defeating host UW-Platteville on Wednesday in a doubleheader, 15-2 and 14-2. The Warhawks made quick work of the Pioneers by disposing of them in seven innings in both games. UW-W is ranked sixth in the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III poll, and is ranked sixteenth in the d3baseball.com poll. The Warhawks are currently 25-4 overall and in first place with a record of 14-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-Platteville is now 12-20 overall with a 5-11 record in the WIAC.
Box Score Game One
Box Score Game Two
The first game featured two of the best three pitchers in terms of ERA in the WIAC. UW-W's Adam Dominick (Waukesha/Waukesha West) has the lowest ERA at 1.25 while UW-Platteville's Joe Lange is third at 2.12. Dominick won the battle and moved to 7-1 this season after giving up only three hits and two runs while striking out nine. Before tonight's contests, Dominick ranked third in the WIAC with forty-seven strikeouts. Teammate, Aaron Dott (Green Lake/Green Lake) led the conference with forty-nine. Lange drops to 3-3 on the season.
UW-Whitewater first scored in the top of the third when Ben Kuhlmann (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) reached base on a fielder's choice and later scored on a Thomas Corcoran single. The Warhawks scored one more in the top of the fourth to take a 2-0 lead.
The Warhawks' bats began to heat up in the top of the fifth when they scored two more after Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) singled to drive in Kuhlmann. Later in the inning Corcoran scored on a fielder's choice.
With a 4-0 lead going into the sixth the Warhawks offense erupted with back-to-back innings of five and six runs respectively. The top of the sixth was highlighted by a two-RBI double from Prather and a two-RBI single from Jordan Stine (Merrill/Merrill).
Platteville answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the six-run seventh was enough to put the Pioneers to rest after seven innings. Kuhlmann singled to drive in two and Stine homered to drive in three.
Kuhlmann, Zalnis, Prather, Stine, Billy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper), and Mike Kenseth (Milwaukee/West Allis Hale) all recorded multiple hit games for the Warhawks who boast the highest batting average in the WIAC at .330. Prather leads all individuals in the WIAC hitting .425 this season. Stine went 4X5 in the game with five RBIs.
UW-Whitewater put their conference leading ERA on the line again in game two and came away victorious after Mike Jacobson (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) went six and a third innings to record the win. Jacobson gave up five hits and two runs and struck out five. Jacobson is 5-1 this season. Mike Davis of UW-Platteville tallied the loss and is 0-1 this season.
Platteville took an early lead in the bottom of the second inning on a Mike Flood home run. The Pioneers never led again as the Warhawks answered with two runs in the top of the third to take the lead for good. Prather led off the inning with a single and was followed by Prather who knocked one over the fence to continue his hot hitting.
The Warhawks put up a five spot in the top of the fourth keyed by a Kenseth double that scored Joe Munn (Pleasanton, CA/Pleasanton) and a Jeff Donovan (Wauwatosa/Wauwatosa East) single that scored Kenseth and Johnson. Zalnis hit the first of two home runs in the game later in the inning that scored two.
The top of the seventh inning was big for the Warhawks as they scored seven runs with five different Warhawks recording RBI's in the inning. Zalnis hit his second home run, a solo shot, in the seventh.
Three Warhawks totaled three or more RBIs in the game and five had multiple hits. Donovan, who is second in the WIAC in home runs, went 4X5, driving in three. Johnson and Stine extended their hitting streaks to nine games each.
UW-Whitewater plays again on April 26 and 27 when they travel to UW-La Crosse for noon doubleheaders on both days. UW-W plays at home again on April 30 in a twinbill against Concordia University at Prucha Field beginning at 2:00 pm.
For additional information:
John Vodenlich
UW-W baseball website
