UW-Whitewater defeated UW-La Crosse 6-3 in game one.  UW-LAX defeated UW-W 9-6 in game two

game one box score

game two box score

photo gallery, courtesy of Kristine Johnson

Whitewater opened the scoring in game one, scoring twice on the ultimate inning of small ball.  The inning went single, single, advance on ground out, RBI on ground out, score on wild pitch. 

Neither team got a runner in scoring position again until the top of the sixth, when the Eagles scored three times.  All the runs were unearned as a result of an inning opening Warhawk error, and UW-L freshman third baseman Jay Fanta cashed in with a three run homer, his second of the season.

The Warhawks regained the lead in their half of the inning, with Ben Kuhlman (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) driving in two with his second round-tripper of the year.  Whitewater added single runs in the seventh and eighth, the first on a steal of home by Matt Beyer (Janesville/Parker) and the run in the eighth the aid of a walk and an Eagle error.

Jason Hooper (Lake Mills/Lake Mills), 3-1, went eight and two thirds to pick up win for UW-W.  Bryant Rude went the distance for UW-L.  Sam Petrasko (Appleton/East), Rob Coe (Appleton/North), and Nick Rechlitz (Milwaukee/Marquette) collected two hits each for UW-W, while Storm Gram went 2x3 for UW-L.

The second game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) singled in Kuhlman.  La Crosse evened it, 1-1 in the fifth, and UW-W tied it in their half of the inning on a Ryan Leavitt (Merrill/Merrill) RBI single.  Once again, the Eagles scored one in the top of the sixth to make it 2-2, but again, UW-W scored once, on a Rechlitz single to make it 3-2 after five. 

After five consecutive half innings of one run by the teams, La Crosse took control of the game with a six spot in the seventh.  Cory Poppitz and Matt Trocke both stroked two run singles in the frame, but the Warhawks helped out with three errors, a catcher's interference, and three walks. La Crosse held an 8-3 lead.

Back to the one run innings, the Warhawks score a lone run in the bottom of the seventh another RBI single by Kuhlmann.  La Crosse responded with a run in the top of the ninth to make it 9-4.  UW-W closed the gap with two runs in the ninth, courtesy of run producing singles by Coe and Rechlitz, but the game ended with the bases loaded.

Petrasko, Coe and Rechlitz, again, were joined by Zalnis with two hits each for UW-W.  Kuhlmann was on base three times with a hit and two walks.  Rechlitz led the two with the two runs batted in.  Aaron Dott (Green Lake/Green Lake), 5-2, pitched the first six-plus innings, taking the loss.  Ross Benitz, 5-2, went six innings to get the win for the Eagles.  Trocke and Travis Kerr both had two hits and three RBI's for the Eagles.

UW-W is 14-7 overall and 6-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  UW-L is 14-6 overall and 7-3 in league play.

UW-W is ranked twenty-second in the D3baseball.com national poll and twenty-fifth by the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball.

UW-Whitewater will play a doubleheader, beginning at 1:00, at UW-Oshkosh Wednesday, April 15.  The next home doubleheader for the Warhawks will be Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19, at 12:00 with UW-Superior visiting Prucha Field.  Prucha Field is on the north end of campus, north of Williams Center and west of Perkins Stadium.  Free parking is adjacent to the field.

For additional information:  John Vodenlich, UW-W coach