An eighth inning run gave the Warhawks a 3-2 lead that they never gave back as they went on to defeat UW-Stevens Point in game four of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday in Whitewater.  The win forces a fifth and final game that will decide who receives the automatic bid into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III World Series beginning next weekend.  UW-Whitewater's tournament web site

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Stevens Point took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning on a solo homer by Eric Fritz.  UW-W answered with a run in the top of the second as Kevin Zalnis (Woodstock, IL/Woodstock) hit his eighth homerun of the season to tie the game at one.

Point regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Sam Spurney that plated Brad Archambeau.

Just half an inning later, in the top of the sixth, the Warhawks answered back once again, this time on a Ben Kuhlmann (West Allis/Hale)solo homerun.

With the game tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth Warhawk second baseman Kuhlmann scored on a Pointer wild pitch to take the lead for good.

Williams Lovera (Tinaquillo, Venezuela/Tinaquillo) came on to retire seven of the nine batters he faced in the last two and one third innings.  Lovera earned the win and is now 3-1 this season.

The Pointers left fifteen men on base in the loss.

Kuhlmann and Zalnis both notched two of the Warhawks five total hits.  In contrast, the Pointers tallied ten hits.

The two teams face off again on Saturday with the winner receiving a bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

For additional information:
UW-W head coach, John Vodenlich