Related Links:
La Crosse NCAA Regional Web Page
 
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater received several clutch performances in an elimination game Thursday to defeat St. John's (Minn.) 2-0 in an NCAA Regional contest at Copeland Park.
 
The Warhawks (34-10 overall) will take on the loser of tonight's UW-La Crosse/Washington-St. Louis game Friday at 4:30 p.m. in another elimination contest.
 
Senior left-hander Colin Grove (Beloit/Memorial) tossed his fifth complete game and second shutout of the season, scattering eight hits while walking none and striking out one. Grove improved to 9-2 for the season in the effort.
 
Senior left fielder Trey Cannon (Palatine, IL/Palatine) finished 2-for-3 with a walk and knocked in what proved to be the game-winning run on a smash up the middle with two outs in the top of the seventh to plate pinch runner Raul Anaya Jr. (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) from third.
 
Freshman right fielder Will Helbing (Waunakee, Wis./Waunakee) contributed two hits and senior catcher Mike Mierow (Brookfield/Central) added a hit and scored a crucial insurance run in the top of the ninth on a heads-up base running play.
 
UW-Whitewater left four runners on base over the first two innings and were unable to push a run across. Grove held the Johnnies (26-16) in check over that span, retiring the first six batters he faced.
 
Grove pitched around a first-and-third situation in the bottom of the third to end the Johnnies' first scoring chance of the game.
 
After St. John's stranded a runner at third in the bottom of the sixth, Helbing singled up the middle and was pinch run for by Anaya with one out in the top of the seventh.
 
Anaya stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Cannon's clutch base hit back up the middle.
 
The Johnnies put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the frame, but Grove induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
 
Cannon came through with a strong defensive play in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and a runner at first. The Johnnies' Logan Hershey launched a drive to the left centerfield gap, but Cannon made a running catch, crashing against the wall and ending the inning.
 
Mierow led off the top of the ninth, was sacrificed to second by freshman Kevin White (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence) and moved to third on a groundout. Cannon was hit by a pitch and, with senior shortstop Mikole Pierce (DePere/DePere) at the plate, drew a throw over to first. Mierow, watching the slow development of the play at first, bolted for the plate and scored without a throw to double the Warhawks' advantage.
 
Pierce made a diving catch to rob the first hitter in the bottom of the ninth of a single, and Grove left the tying run at the plate, inducing a ground ball to end the affair.