AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team picked up another marquee victory Thursday with an 8-1 triumph over 11th-ranked Washington & Jefferson (Pa.), last year's national runner-up, at the RussMatt Invitational at Lake Myrtle Park.
The Warhawks (3-0), who opened the 2018 season yesterday with wins over fellow 2017 NCAA qualifier Babson (Mass.) and Hope (Mich.), broke open a close game with four runs in the seventh and added two more in the eighth to back a strong performance by junior pitcher
Michael Kaska (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community).
Making his fourth career start, Kaska (1-0) allowed only three hits and one walk while striking out seven over seven shutout innings. Sophomore
Riley Gruetzmacher (Oconto Falls, Wis./Oconto Falls) tossed the final two frames in relief, striking out four over that span.
Junior shortstop
Nick Schrader (Cambridge, Wis./Jefferson) led the UW-Whitewater offense with three hits and one run batted in. Senior centerfielder
Daytona Bryden (Rockton, IL/Hononegah) provided two hits, three runs scored and one RBI, and junior third baseman
Cal Aldridge (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) continued his hot start with two hits, two runs scored and one RBI.
Senior catcher
Mike Aiello (Racine, Wis./Horlick) registered a pair of hits, and senior right fielder
Brett Krause (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) and junior second baseman
McCauley Cox (Janesville, Wis./Craig) each plated one run.
The Warhawks got on the board in the third inning on a two-out single by Aldridge. Meanwhile, Kaska limited the Presidents (7-7) to only one hit over the first three frames before running into trouble in the fourth, when he left runners at first and second with consecutive outs to end the inning.
UW-Whitewater struck again with one in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Cox. Kaska recorded a pair of 1-2-3 innings to conclude his day, and the Warhawks followed with six runs over the next two frames.
Washington & Jefferson tallied its lone run of the day in the bottom of the ninth before Gruetzmacher struck out the final two hitters of the contest.
UW-Whitewater returns to action Friday at 11:30 a.m. Central Time against Lawrence at Lake Myrtle Park.
