UW-Whitewater, ranked tenth in this week's D3baseball.com poll, defeated Concordia University (WI) 13-2 and 12-7 at Prucha Field in Whitewater Wednesday. Whitewater, with victories in nineteen of its last twenty games, is 30-5 this season, the fifth time in the last six years that the Warhawks have won at least thirty games.
Game one box score
Game two box score
Whitewater opened game one with a unearned run in their half of the first and, for all practical purposes, ended it with four more in the third on a grand slam by catcher Billy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper), his fourth home run of the season. First baseman Matt Schliewe (Horicon/Horicon) and leftfielder Ben Prather (Chicago, IL/James B. Conant) clubbed home runs in the fourth, Schliewe bringing in two runs and Prather three. The Warhawks ended the scoring, and the game by the run deficit rule, on a two run homer by designated hitter Cory Trepanier (Oconto/Oconto) in the bottom of the seventh.
Randy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper) and Bryant Ganser (Jefferson/Jefferson) combined to toss a three-hitter for the Warhawks, with Johnson improving to 3-2 this year. The Warhawk offense collected fifteen hits, including a 4x4 day by Johnson.
Game two wasn't nearly as cripsly played, with both teams commiting five errors. Whitewater scored first, a run in the second, but Concordia came back to take the lead in the top of the third, scoring five runs on just four hits. Centerfielder Jay Olla and third baseman Dan Shea both had two run singles in the inning.
Whitewater came back in their half of the inning to take the lead, matching Concordia's five spot. Third baseman Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) and rightfielder Joe Munn (Pleasanton, CA/Pleasanton) had two run doubles in the frame. Prather singled in two more in the fourth, giving UW-W an 8-5 lead, but the Falcons came back to cut the margin to 8-7 with a pair or tallies in the top of the fifth. UW-W made it 9-7 in the fifth, and closed the scoring with three more in the seventh. Rightfielder Tom Corcoran (Rochester, MN/Rochester) hit a two run home run in the seventh.
Steve Hedgepath (Sauk Prairie/Sauk Prairie), the second of five Warhawk hurlers, picked up his first win of the year. Zalnis went 4x5 at the plate to lead Warhawk hitters, who collected seventeen hits.
Concordia is 18-17 this season.
UW-Whitewater's scheduled doubleheader against UW-Stevens Point on Friday May 2nd and Saturday May 3rd has been postponed to Sunday May 4th and Monday May 5th at noon. The Alumni Tailgate has been moved to Sunday at 11:00 at Prucha Field.
For additional information: John Vodenlich, UW-W coach
