UW-Whitewater split a doubleheader at UW-La Crosse Saturday, winning 14-7 and losing 9-8.  Despite the split, UW-W remains in first place in the WIAC. 

game one box
game two box

Whitewater opened game one with a two run home run by third baseman Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) in the top of the first.  It was Zalnis' team-leading ninth homer of the season.  La Crosse cut the in half with a run in its half of the first.

UW-W made it 5-1 with three in the fourth, combining three hits, three walks, a wild pitch and a sacrifice to manufacture the runs.  Sophomore second baseman Josh Weber got two of them back for the Eagles with a bases loaded single in the bottom of the fourth. 

UW-L tied the game with two more in the fifth on shorstop Dusty Otto's two run home run.  Whitewater came back to score twice, on just one hit, to lead 7-5 in the middle of the sixth, but that lasted only until the next at bat when the Eagles scored twice on one hit and three Warhawk errors to make it 7-7 after six. 

That would end the Eagles' scoring, but Whitewater added four more in the seventh, two of them on a single by shortstop Mike Kenseth (Milwaukee/West Allis Hale), and three times in the ninth.

Greg Riek (Markesan/Markesan) went the last four and a third innings in relief, without yielding an earned run to pick up his first victory of the season for UW-W.  Zalnis had three hits in five trips for the Warhawks, while Otto and third baseman Tony Peterson had three hits each for UW-L, which used three pitchers in the game.

La Crosse ended Whitewater's fifteen game win streak with the 9-8 win in game two.  UW-L led 1-0 after three innings, but catcher Billy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper) put UW-W ahead with a bases loaded double, bringing in three to make it 3-1 after four.  Whitewater tacked one more on in the fifth, 4-1, but UW-L erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fifth, with two Warhawk errors figuring in the mix as the Eagles went in front 7-4.

Three consecutive hits, including back to back doubles, added two more for the Eagles in the seventh, making it 9-4.  Tom Corcoran (Rochester, MN/Rochester) singled in a run, Ben Prather (Chicago, IL/James B. Conant) doubled in two, a walk to Johnson pushed across run number eight for UW-W in the ninth, but the rally ended with the bases loaded.

#Ben Kuhlmann went 3x4 and Prather 3x5, with Johnson contributing four runs batted in, to lead the Warhawk offense.  First baseman Mike Schmidt went 3x4 for UW-L. 

UW-W, 26-5 overall, is ranked sixth in the American Baseball Coaches Association Division III poll and sixteenth in the D3baseball.com national poll.  UW-La Crosse is 15-15 overall.

The Warhawks, 15-3 in league play, are a game ahead of UW-Oshkosh, 16-4, which is playing outside the conference this weekend.  UW-Stevens Point, 12-4 going in to Saturday, had its doubleheader at UW-Stout postponed until Monday.

UW-W will play another doubleheader at La Crosse Sunday, beginning at noon.  The Warhawks' next home date will be Wednesday, April 30 at 2:00 when Concordia University (WI) visits Prucha Field.  Prucha Field is on the north end of the UW-W campus, west of Perkins Stadium and north of Williams Center.

For additional information:  John Vodenlich, UW-W coach, 262-472-1420