On a windy Saturday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin the UW-Whitewater baseball team defeated St. Scholastica 21-13 in the championship game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Midwest Regional at E.J. Schneider Field. UW-Whitewater (39-8) advances to the NCAA Division III World Series in Grand Chute, Wisconsin at Fox Cities Stadium beginning May 23. UW-Whitewater post-season website. NCAA Midwest Regional host website.
box score
The wind played a major factor in the game making it difficult for both batters and fielders. St. Scholastica scored two runs in the top of the first when left-fielder Steve Kraushaar singled with one runner on after an error by a UW-W outfielder. Kraushaar later scored the second run of the inning on a Mike Lewis single to center field.
The Warhawks responded in the bottom of the first with two runs to knot the game. Ben Kuhlmann (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) started with a lead-off walk and advanced to third on a double by Jeff Donovan (Wauwatosa/Wauwatosa East). Tom Corcoran (Rochester, MN/Rochester) followed with a single to right field to score Kuhlmann and cut the Saints lead in half. Another single by Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) plated Donovan and the Warhawks tied the game.
UW-W took the lead in the bottom of the second when Mike Kenseth (Milwaukee/West Allis Hale) scored on a throwing error by the Saints. The Warhawks built on that lead when Donovan scored later in the inning on a Ben Prather (Chicago, IL/James B. Conant) single to center field. Zalnis scored another run for the Warhawks after another Saints error on a ground ball by Jordan Stine (Merrill/Merrill). The Warhawks scored three runs in the inning on one hit and two St. Scholastica errors.
After a lead-off single by Billy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper), Kuhlmann and Donovan hit back-to-back home runs to score three more for UW-W in the bottom of the third.
St. Scholastica brought in a single run in the fourth after a double by Joey Link. UW-W responded with two runs of their own. After a Billy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper) single to third and a Kenseth walk, Donovan was able to bring two runners home on a double to left field making the score 10-3 Whitewater.
The Saints battled back to tie it up in the fifth with a scoring streak. St. Scholastica had a total of seven runs, with five of those occurring with two outs on the board. Two Warhawk errors made the runs unearned. The outburst tied the score 10-10. Whitewater again responded with three more runs of their own to regain the lead. Starting out with Prather being hit by a pitch, Stine single to left, and Munn being hit by a pitch the bases were filled. Billy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper) singled, and due to a Saint error, Munn, Stine, and Prather all scored.
The Warhawks extended their lead to 14-10 in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Zalnis with no outs in the inning. Back-to-back walked batters allowed Whitewater to bring in a run extending the lead to 15-10. A base hit by Johnson brought yet another batter home followed by a base hit from Sam Petrasko (Appleton/East), plating another Warhawk. An error by St. Scholastica allowed a second UW-W runner, Munn, to score on the same play. The inning ended in Whitewater's favor 18-10.
The Saints loaded the bases in the seventh. A hit by Darrin Carlson was able to bring in Marshik and Eller cutting the Warhawks lead to six. An error by the Warhawks advanced Sean Claugherty home after a hit by Mike Lewis. The Warhawks brought in pitcher Aaron Dott (Green Lake/Green Lake) to replace Jason Hooper (Lake Mills/Lake Mills) with two outs down in the top of the inning and ended the half 18-13. The Saints finally had a clean inning with a double play and a quick three outs.
The Warhawks added a few insurance runs in the eighth with Greg Harder (Waukesha/Waukesha West)'s RBI single bringing in Stine and Johnson making the final score 21-13, Whitewater.
Hooper picks up the win, which makes it his first of the season while the loss is given to Josh Hawkins, now 3-2. Billy Johnson (Kenosha/Kenosha Tremper) went 4x5 from the plate with three RBI to raise his season total to 48, while Donovan went 3x4 with another three RBI, and Zalnis 3x5 adding two more RBI making his season total a team-high 50.
St. Scholastica ends the season 35-6 while the Warhawks improve to 39-8 in their 11th National Collegiate Athletics Association III post-season appearance. The Warhawks will return to the NCAA III World Series for the fourth time. UW-W tied for fifth in the 1989 series in Bristol, Connecticut; tied for third in 2004 in Grand Chute, and won the NCAA III title in Grand Chute in 2005. Nine seniors on the team were members of the '04 championship team.
UW-W will open play in the NCAA III World Series against the Central Regional winner, Linfield College, on Friday, May 23 at 4:30.
For additional information:
John Vodenlich, UW-W head coach, 262-472-1420
UW-W baseball website
