Aaron Dott (Green Lake/Green Lake) showed why he is UW-Whitewater's ace. With the end of the season, or a trip to the NCAA Division III World Series, looming Dott pitched a complete game 4-2 win over Carthage College Monday in the regional tournament hosted by Augustana College in Moline, Illinois. With the win UW-W, 30-18 overall and 3-1 in the regional, earns another matchup with Carthage, 35-7 overall and 2-1 in the regional Monday afternoon. The NCAA tournament uses a double elimination format. The winner of goes on to Grand Chute for the World Series, the loser goes home. UW-Whitewater Tournament Central web site
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Today's regional setup turned out to be a doubleheader for the teams. Earlier this season, when both teams were in Florida, they played twice but not on the same day. Whitewater won the first meeting 9-0 and Carthage won the second 6-2. Whitewater has played sixteen doubleheaders this year, sweeping five of them and splitting nine. A sixth sweep will send them packing for the Series.
Junior designated hitter Sam Petrasko (Appleton/East) put UW-W on the board first with a two out home run, his second homer of the season, in the second inning. The Warhawks added run number two in the third, with catcher Rob Coe (Appleton/North) drawing a two out walk. Coe moved all the way to third on a wild pick-off attempt, and came home on a double off the bat of senior rightfielder Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock).
Carthage knotted the game in the fifth, scoring twice. Rightfielder Chris Shannon led off with a single and stole second. First baseman John Lequia moved Shannon to third with a single, and Shannon came home on a wild pitch. Dott issued back-to-back walks to Mike Hughes and Mark Sobol to load the bases, and centerfielder Will Hodges singled in the second Carthage run.
The Warhawks came back with two tallies in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs second baseman Ben Kuhlmann (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) reached on an error. Coe singled Kuhlmann to third, and Zalnis singled in Kuhlmann with the game winning run. First baseman Matt Millar (Stoughton/Stoughton) singled in Coe to make it 4-2 Whitewater.
Pitchers dominated the rest of the way, doling out just four hits, combined, over the last three innings.
Dott, 7-5, picked up his team-leading fourth complete game of the season. The junior lefthander picked his second complete game win, also leading UW-W to a 3-2 win over Washington University Thursday, in the regional tournament. Zalnis led the Warhawk offense with a 3x4 day and two runs batted in.
Freshman righthander Eric Rohe, 5-1, took his first loss of the season for the Redmen, although he allowed just one earned run while striking out eight and walking none. Shannon went 3x5 to lead Carthage hitters.
