The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team scored nine runs in the first inning, carrying the momentum forward to a 12-8 win over Nebraska Wesleyan.

Nebraska Wesleyan began the game with two runs in the top of the first, looking for revenge after UW-Whitewater defeated them 11-6 in the first game of the Blue Wahoos Challenge on March 10th.

Nelson Phillips IV (Elm Grove, Wis./Brookfield East) got the Warhawks going with a single to lead off the game. Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) followed up by drawing a full-count walk to get the first two runners on. Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) added the first runs of the game with a deep ball to left field to get scoring started for the Warhawks. Olson tallied three RBIs in his first at-bat of the inning with the homer. 

Leyten Bowers (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) passed the bat to draw a walk after the homer. Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) scored Bowers with a double of his own. Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) hit a sacrifice fly for the first out of the inning, but Holland coming in to score put the Warhawks up 5-2.

Landen Seymour (Rockton, Ill./Honongah) turned the order around with an RBI single. Seymour scored the next run himself, with a heads-up play taking home after the ball rolled away from the pitcher after issuing Andy Theis his second walk of the inning. Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) added the final touches on the inning with a two-RBI single to give the Warhawks a 9-2 lead after just one inning of play. Olson tallied five RBIs in the first inning alone. 

The Prairie Wolves were able to get out of the inning, but couldn't cut away much of the Warhawks lead, only recording one run in the second inning. The Warhawks' offense did quiet down, only recording one hit over the next two frames. 

Olson regained some offense for UWW, taking his base after getting hit by the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth. Leyten Bowers (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) tripled to bring Olson in, then scored himself on a sacrifice fly from Holland.

With the 11-3 lead, the Warhawks shifted defensively, with Nick West (Verona, Wis./Verona) retiring the side in order to keep Nebraska Wesleyan off the base path at the top of the 5th. 

The Prairie Wolves were able to get momentum with a three-run inning in the top of the 6th. A 2-RBI home run and RBI single cut the Warhawks' lead to just five.

UW-Whitewater minimized the offensive chances for NWU to begin a comeback in the next two innings. The Warhawks added one more, pushing their lead back to six runs in the bottom of the 8th. Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) reached on a walk, then rounded the bases after NWU threw two more walks before a passed ball scored Spring. 

Nebraska Wesleyan didn't go away quietly, scoring three runs in the top of the 9th. The Warhawks were able to get out of the inning before the Prairie Wolves tied it up.

Nick West (Verona, Wis./Verona) earned the win in the bullpen game for the Warhawks, pitching 3.0 innings, only allowing two hits. 

The Warhawks have a day off before returning to the Blue Wahoos Stadium on Sunday, March 15th. UWW will take on Carroll at 10 AM.