The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team took both games to take the conference series 3-1 over Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Warhawks (21-2, 12-2 WIAC), took a commanding 12-6 win in game one, before coming out on top in a stellar 4-2 victory in game two.

In game one on the day, UW-La Crosse pushed out to a quick 1-0 lead with a lead off home run, but UW-Whitewater answered right back to tie up the game with an Adam Cootway (DePere, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) RBI single.

Matt Scolan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) extended the lead with his own RBI single, but the Eagles answered back with their own to keep the game knotted at two a-piece.

UWW started to build some momentum in the bottom of the third, with another two RBI singles to go up 4-2. The Warhawks put together nine hits in the first three frames, all of which were singles. 

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) sent one yard to kickstart a Warhawk rally. Daryl Jackson and Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) followed Thies up with more homers of their own in the same inning as the Warhawks took a 9-2 lead.

Sam Paden (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) and McVay added on two more RBI singles in the 5th to keep extending the lead. The Eagles were able to round two to cut down the lead, but another RBI single with two outs (this time from Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North)), put the Warhawks back up by 8 runs in the 7th.

UWL rallied in the 9th, but could only add two more to give the Warhawks the 12-6 victory in the ninth. 

Logan Eisenbarth (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) picked up the win in the first game, with 6.0 innings pitched. Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) notched the save, pitching the last 3 innings of the game.

The second game was one of those all-around stellar games that epitomized the top-10 match-up between the two teams.

Max Huseboe (Ripon, Wis./Ripon) and AJ Curtis battled it out on the mound, with 11 straight outs to start the game. Sam Paden (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) broke it up with a 2-out single in the second, but the first few frames set-up a great battle between the squads.

Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) broke open the cap with a solo shot in the fourth, giving the Warhawks a 1-0 lead. The Eagles tied it back up after two consecutive singles put runners on the corners. UWL's batter put the ball into a double play, but the run came across to knot the game up.

Frank responded again with another solo shot, this time an oppo-taco to right center, but UW-La Crosse was right there, capitalizing on small ball hitting to move runners around in the 7th. 

With another tied game, Matt Scolan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) took to the plate in the 7th. Scolan answered with an RBI double that was able to send Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) from first all the way to home for the go-ahead run.

In the top of the 8th, George Seaman got a hold of a ball, but the would-be-homer ricocheted off the scoreboard in right center of Prucha Field. The Warhawks got out of the inning, maintaining their 3-2 lead.

Daryl Jackson added an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th, with a solo shot down the left field line. Jackson's second homer of the day was a crucial one in the tight scoring game.

The Eagles had three outs to play with, but Jack Hagen (San Clemente, Cal./San Clemente) earned the save forcing a line out and two ground-outs to give the Warhawks the 4-2 win in game two. Brady Malkow (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) was credited with the win, with an efficient 1.2 innings with only a single hit and no earned-runs.

With the two wins, the Warhawks take a two-game lead in the conference standings with the two wins on Saturday.

UWW will head to St. Xaiver for their make-up game against the Panthers on April 16th at 3 PM. They will return to WIAC play next Friday in Stevens Point. The First game of the series is set to begin at 1 PM on April 18th.