The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team opened up their Spring Trip to Pensacola, Florida, with an 11-6 win over Nebraska Wesleyan. The Warhawks and Prairie Wolves had a tight game nearly the whole way, but a grand slam by Hudson Turner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) in the 8th cracked the game open for UWW.

The Warhawks only allowed a two-out single in their opening defensive inning, then went on to score the first run of the game in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) sent a slow roller down the third base line. McVay's hit hugged the foul line, but stayed fair to put the Warhawks up 1-0.

Both sides went down in order in the second. But in the third inning,Nebraska Wesleyan got their start on offense with a three-run homer to take the lead 3-1. The Warhawks were able to minimize the damage, scoring one run of their own in the bottom of the frame. McVay had another two-out RBI to keep the Warhawks within one run. 

Sam Steuber (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) threw a three-up-three-down inning in the fourth, but the Warhawks were unable to move runners, recording only one hit in the bottom of the inning.

Steuber retired the side in order again in the fifth, fanning two in the frame. The Warhawk offense helped a bit more this time, with Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) leading off the inning with a double. Leyten Bowers (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) cleaned Olson up with a single to tie the game back up at three. The Warhawks finished the inning with a 2-RBI double from Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) to retake the lead at 5-3.

UWW added another run with a sacrifice fly from Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) in the sixth. The Prairie Wolves answered back this time, scoring three runs in the top of the 7th. The game didn't stay tied for long; the Warhawks were able to get runners on with back-to-back walks. Brady Gilroy (Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central) sent the go-ahead run around to put UWW up 7-6 with just two innings left to play.

Benjy Tucker (Alpharetta, Ga./Mount Pisgah) continued his work on the mound into the 8th. The Prairie Wolves had runners on second & third, but Tucker threw a three-pitch backwards K to end the side & keep the lead in the Warhawks' favor. 

The UWW offense got moving again in the bottom of the frame, loading up the bases with three walks. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Hudson Turner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) sent a grand slam over the left field wall for the Warhawks' first homer of the season. The long ball put UW-Whitewater up 11-6 with just an inning left.

Gradin Taschner (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) took the mound for the final three outs. Taschner struck out all three, only allowing a lone single in the final inning. 

The Warhawks recorded 11 runs on 11 hits. Brady Gilroy (Elgin, Ill./Burlington Central) led the team with three hits on the day. Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) and Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) each recorded two hits. Hudson Turner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) had the four RBIs from the grand slam. McVay & Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) both had two RBIs. 

Benjy Tucker (Alpharetta, Ga./Mount Pisgah) recorded the win on the mound, going 1.2 innings of hitless baseball. The Warhawk pitching committee had 11 strikeouts on the day. Sam Steuber (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) with four, Ethan Wickman (Spring Green, Wis./River Valley) & Tucker with two, and Gradin Taschner (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) with three. 

The Warhawks continue the Studer's Blue Wahoos Challenge tomorrow morning, Tuesday, March 11th, against Grinnell at 10 am.