UW-Whitewater remained in the thick of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff chase after a split with UW-Platteville Wednesday at Prucha Field in Whitewater. Platteville won game one 3-2 and Whitewater took the nightcap 5-3. The doubleheader was preceded by the completion of an April 22 game suspended by darkness with UW-W winning 7-5.
box score game one
box score game two
photo gallery (courtesy of Tim Gumz)
Game one, a 3-2 Platteville win, was a rarity. It isn't often at the Prucha Field wind tunnel, or anytime in a WIAC game, that pitchers dominate. On the other hand, it might have been predicted. The game tied for the sixth lowest scoring (combined runs) game of the 2009 WIAC season --- and the Pioneers have been involved in six of them.
Whitewater's Aaron Dott (Green Lake/Green Lake), who warmed up by pitching the final inning of the suspended game that was completed earlier, and Platteville's Justin Crotty gave up just one hit each, and no runs, in the first three innings.
UW-P second baseman Brett Benesh broke the deadlock with his third home run to lead off the fourth. Crotty threw another scoreless inning, but UW-W got to him in the fifth. Two walks figured in the scoring, with Ben Kuhlmann (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) knocking in the first with a single and the other run coming in on a double play.
Whitewater's lead didn't last long, as Platteville scored two unearned runs in the top of the sixth. A Warhawk error and a hit batsman set up Lee Hawkins' game winning two run single.
Dott, 5-4, went eight innings for UW-W with two walks and nine strikeouts. Eric Schmitz (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) pitched a scoreless ninth. Crotty was relieved in the fifth, with Wil Osmanski, 2-2, picking up the win with three innings of one hit relief. Joe Lange earned his second save with a scoreless ninth. Kuhlmann went 3x4 for the Warhawks, leading both teams at the plate.
Eric Schmitz (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) saved, literally, the game for UW-W in game two, a 5-3 Warhawk win.
Platteville drew first blood, on a Jason Jacobson RBI single in the first inning. Platteville's Joe Lange and #Jason Hooper for UW-W kept it at 1-0 through five innings. In the bottom of the sixth Nick Rechlitz (Milwaukee/Marquette) led off the inning with his second home run of the season to tie the game.
Platteville broke that immediately, plating two in the top of the seventh to give UW-P a 3-1 lead. After six innings of almost no scoring, it seemed strange to have Whitewater come back in the bottom of the seventh with four runs. Cory Trepanier (Oconto/Oconto) singled in one to cut the lead to 3-2, and Matt Beyer (Janesville/Parker) singled and two runs came in, with the help of an error in Platteville outfield. Rechlitz's sacrifice fly concluded the scoring.
Schmitz came on in the seventh, with men at first and second and one out, and did not allow a run. He held the Pioneers at bay for two and a third innings to pick up his first win of the season. Williams Lovera (Tinaquillo, Venezuela/Tinaquillo) picked up his second save of the season by getting the last out in the ninth. Joe Lange went the distance for Platteville, giving up just one earned run, striking out five with one walk.
Platteville's Jason Jacobson led both teams with a 3x4 game, including two RBI's. Rechlitz and Travis Wessels (Tomah/Tomah) had two hits for Whitewater.
The regularly scheduled doubleheader was preceded by the completion of a game that began April 22. That game had to be suspended by darkness with UW-W leading 7-5 after eight innings. Aaron Dott (Green Lake/Green Lake) pitched the ninth to preserve the victory for Jason Hooper (Lake Mills/Lake Mills). More on the game suspended from April 22
UW-W is 23-12 overall and 15-9 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-P is 19-17 overall and 9-11 in league play. Whitewater will play a doubleheader at Marian College in Fond du Lac Thursday, then await the results of other WIAC games to see where they fit in the WIAC tournament May 8-9.
For additional information: John Vodenlich, UW-W coach
