The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team clinched the outright conference title, their 23rd in program history, with a game one win against UW-Platteville. The Warhawks (34-4, 24-4 WIAC) secured the outright title with a 19-4 win in just seven innings, but the Pioneers (18-19, 13-15 WIAC) fought back in game two for the 3-1 win, securing their own spot in the WIAC Baseball tournament next weekend.

The Warhawks had their work cut out for them early in game one, as UW-PLatteville spotted three runs to begin the game, but a sacrifice fly from Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) and a solo shot for Adam Cootway (DePere, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) closed the gap to just one run after the first 6 outs of the game.

From there, it was all UW-Whitewater, as the Warhawks scored in every single inning. 

Matt Scolan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) highlighted the second inning, hitting a 3-run homer to collect the Warhawk Career RBI record. Later in the game, Scolan would take a career base on balls, breaking the UWW Career BB record as well.

The Warhawks extended the lead to nine in the fourth, highlighted by 2-RBI doubles from both Cootway and Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles). Thies scored himself on a Hopper hit, sliding right under the tag from the catcher. Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) finished the inning with his own RBI to put the Warhawks up 12-3.

UW-Platteville capitalized on a error to get a runner on third. The Pioneers scored on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning for their fourth run of the game. 

But in the bottom of the frame, Sam Paden (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) got the run back and-then-some, with a base clearing triple to extended the lead to double digits. Daryl Jackson added his own RBI single for another crooked number on the scoreboard. 

Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly), Thies, and Jackson Koenig (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) all scored a run to put the Warhawks up 19-4. A quick inning defensively ended the game after 7 innings.

Cade Hansen (New Braunfels, Texas/Smithson Valley) pitched a complete game, notching 11 strikeouts in a 7.0 inning win.

In Game Two, the hitting slowed for both teams, with only three runners on through three complete. But the Warhawks went into a bullpen game, giving UW-Platteville an RBI double in the fourth to open up scoring. 

The Warhawks were unable to get any runners moving, and a two run homer in the top of the 6th gave the Pioneers the 3-0 lead.

With the Pioneers maintaining their lead, the Warhawks kept bringing in new arms, managing to not extend the deficit. UWW held off the shutout, with an Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 8th. 

Paden had a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth, but UWP held on to avoid a walk-off, winning 3-1.

The Warhawks will end the regular season with a 2 PM game on May 6th against Ripon College. They will then take on UW-Platteville again with the first round match-up of the WIAC Baseball Tournament.