For the second time in as many days the UW-Whitewater baseball team defeated Otterbein College in Port Charlotte, Florida by one run, this time UW-W won 4-3 in 17 innings. On Friday, UW-W defeated the Cardinals 3-2. The Hawks improve to 5-2 this season and Otterbein drops to 4-3.

box score

 

The 17-inning marathon began at 2:30 p.m. eastern time and lasted for four hours and eighteen minutes. In a game that lasted almost twice as long as a regular nine inning game, only seven pitchers were used between the two teams.

 

The Warhawks scored a run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Mike Kenseth (Milwaukee/West Allis Hale). They added one to the lead in the top of the sixth on a Cory Trepanier (Oconto/Oconto) sacrifice fly that plated Ben Kuhlmann (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest). The 2-0 lead lasted until the bottom of the eighth when the Cardinals tied things up with a two RBI single by Adam Becker.

 

The 2-2 score would carry-on over the next eight innings before anyone could score. The Warhawks finally broke through in the top of the seventeenth to score the two runs they needed to secure the lead and the win. Travis Wessels (Tomah/Tomah) drove in one of the two and Kuhlmann drove in what would prove to be the game winner.

 

Otterbein, the home team, got last raps but were only able to score one run as UW-W went on to win 4-3.

 

UW-W starting pitcher CJ Herrforth (Hartland/Hartland) went seven innings and surrendered zero runs on six hits while striking out three of the twenty-six batters he faced. Kyle Lee (Beaver Dam/Beaver Dam) pitched an inning and two thirds of relief before giving way to Ben Versnik (West Allis/Hale) who went the final eight and a third innings to earn the victory. Versnik faced twenty-nine batters and only allowed four hits and one run to go along with four strikeouts. Versnik is 2-0 this season.

 

Otterbein's four pitchers combined for a solid performance, combining for nineteen strikeouts.

 

UW-W had three players boast multiple hits in the game.

 

The Warhawks will play again in Florida on Sunday in a game against Carthage University at 11:00 a.m. central time.