UW-Whitewater, ranked twenty-second in the national poll of Division III teams, ran its win streak to six and upped its overall record to 12-5 with a pair of victories over Carroll University, 16-6 and 9-3, Tuesday at Prucha Field in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

box score, game one

box score, game two

photo gallery by Tim Gumz

In game one, UW-W scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, with the aid of a Carroll error and a hit batter, and the Warhawks never trailed. 

Carroll cut the margin in half with a run in the second, but UW-W manufactured a run in the third to go up 3-1.  An unusual sacrifice fly off the bat of Mike Kenseth (Milwaukee/West Allis Hale), resulting when the Carroll centerfielder make a tumbling grab but getting and gathering himself took enough time to allow two Warhawks to score. Whitewater used small ball to push across another tally in the fifth, making it 6-1.

Carroll scored once in the top of the sixth, but UW-W put the Pioneers on the ropes in the sixth, sending fourteen batters to the plate.  UW-W piled up eight hits, two walks, a wild pitch, a stolen base and a Pioneer to push nine runs across the plate.  Nick Beyer led off the inning with his first home run of the year and Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) drove in two with a single as eight different Warhawks drove in a run in the inning.

The Pioneers came back from the brink of the ten-run rule with four runs in the top of the seventh on five hits, but Nick Rechlitz (Milwaukee/Marquette) singled in Max Cordio (Whitewater/Whitewater), who began the inning with a walk, with no outs in the seventh to end the game.

Sam Petrasko (Appleton/East) led Whitewater, and the game, with a 4x5 game.  Petrasko scored three runs and has his team high eighth stolen base of the season.  Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) drove in five runs for UW-W.  Doug Hanson (Grayslake, IL/Grayslake) evening his mark at 1-1 with six innings of work, allowing one earned run on five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Carroll totaled ten hits, but only catcher Matt Holman had a more than one hit, going 2x3.  The Pioneers used five pitchers in the game.

Whitewater used a two out rally in the bottom of the second to jump on top in game two.  Travis Wessels (Tomah/Tomah) tripled in two of the three runs. 

Carroll cut the margin to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the fifth, but UW-W came back with four in their half of the inning with the aid of two Pioneer errors.  Three walks and a hit batter led to two more Warhawk runs in the seventh.  Carroll closed out the scoring with one in the eighth.

Starter Riley Tincher (Oregon/Oregon) went five innings, giving up two hits and one earned run, to up his record to 2-0 for UW-W.  Tincher received help from three relievers.  Wessels and Rechlitz had two hits apiece for UW-W, with Cordio going 1x1 with three walks.

UW-Whitewater will host UW-La Crosse Thursday and Friday at Prucha Field.  Thursday twinbill begins at 1:00, and the Friday action starts at 12:00.  Prucha Field is on the north end of campus, north of Williams Center and west of Perkins Stadium.

For additional information:  John Vodenlich, UW-W coach