The No. 4/6 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team maintained its hold on first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings Saturday with a two-game sweep over UW-Platteville in a doubleheader at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.
The Warhawks (26-6 overall, 13-3 WIAC) came back twice in the opener to post a 7-5 victory before riding a strong pitching performance by senior
Westin Wuethrich (Greenwood, Wis./Greenwood) in the second game en route to a 5-0 triumph.
Wuethrich (4-1) tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout to lead UW-Whitewater in the nightcap, collecting nine strikeouts while not walking a hitter in the performance.
Junior first baseman
Blake Fleischman (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in to lead the offense. Sophomore left fielder
Matt Wary (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) and sophomore third baseman
Cal Aldridge (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) added run-scoring base hits for insurance in the bottom of the eighth.
Aldridge finished with two hits, and senior shortstop
Jordan Kuczynski (Germantown/Germantown) registered two runs scored and plated a run in the eighth with a suicide squeeze bunt.
In Game 1, the Warhawks responded each time the Pioneers (18-18, 3-13) scored.
UW-Whitewater took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth, breaking a 5-5 tie on a UW-Platteville error and an RBI single by Aldridge, who finished 3-for-5 with three RBI for the contest.
Wary and junior centerfielder
Daytona Bryden (Rockton, IL/Hononegah) added three hits and one RBI apiece.
Senior
Mike Nompleggi (Oconto Falls/Oconto Falls) pitched the final two innings, allowing only one hit to earn his fourth win of the year.
The Warhawks recognized longtime public address announcer Tom Lange for his 40 years of service between games. T-shirts and bobble heads featuring Lange were sold, with all proceeds benefiting the JwegStrong Fund for
Justin Wegner (Naperville, Ill./Central), a freshman catcher at UW-Whitewater in 2016 who was diagnosed over the summer with a rare form of cancer. Former Warhawk catcher Rob Coe (2009-11) threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Lange's behalf.
UW-Whitewater resumes play Wednesday at home against Benedictine (Ill.). First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m. at Miller Stadium.