The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team claimed its third straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship after defeating UW-La Crosse in back-to-back games on Saturday. The 10th title in program history gives the Warhawks the WIAC automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.
The Warhawks needed two wins over the Eagles after battling through the elimination bracket to reach the championship on Saturday.
Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) got UWW out to a strong start, scoring the first run in game one with an inside-the-park home run. Spring's hit took a large bounce over the center fielder's head, allowing the Warhawk shortstop to touch all four with the ball in play.
UW-La Crosse was able to retake the lead in the bottom of the second, with four runs in the frame. But in the top of the third,
Leyten Bowers (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) had the equalizer with a three-run homer to even the score.
The Eagles tacked on another in the 4th, but Spring kicked off another rally for the Warhawks with a 2-RBI single.
Keli Grennier (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) followed up with an RBI single of his own to put the Warhawks up 7-5.
The Warhawks kept staying just a run ahead of the Eagles, matching the scores heading into the final innings of play.
With an 8-7 lead heading into the 9th inning,
Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) came through for the Warhawks with two outs. A 2-RBI single from McVay added on insurance.
Wyatt Jensen (Luck, Wis./Luck) added an RBI single to put the Warhawks up 11-7 with just three outs remaining for the Eagles.
Theo Zeidler (Suamico, Wis./Bay Port) pitched the final two innings, collecting three strikeouts on his way to the save.
Benjy Tucker (Alpharetta, Ga./Mount Pisgah) picked up the win, going 1.2 innings of relief without allowing a single run.
In the second game, the Warhawks had their work cut out early, with UW-La Crosse taking a 3-0 lead after an inning & a half.
Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) got the Warhawks on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the second.
After a scoreless inning, McVay was the hero again, hitting his second home run of the game to knot the game up at 3-a-piece.
Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) hit in a runner from a fielder's choice, but the Eagles' error trying to turn the double play allowed
Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) to move up to bases to put the Warhawks up by two.
UW-La Crosse tied the game back up with two runs in the top of the 5th, but the lead didn't last long, with another two-run inning for the Warhawks.
Wyatt Jensen (Luck, Wis./Luck) hit in one run, with another scoring on an error from La Crosse.
Maintaining just a two-run lead, the Warhawks found themselves in a jam with bases loaded & no one out. UWW turned a double-play, but the Eagles scored a run on the play to cut the margin to just a run.
The Warhawks were able to re-extend the margin to three runs in the 7th, with
Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) hitting an RBI single.
Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) cleaned Holland off the bags with a two-out triple to put the Warhawks up 9-6.
In the 8th inning, the Warhawks tacked on two more runs to push the lead to five.
Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) &
Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) rallied back-to-back RBI singles with two outs to give the UWW insurance runs.
In the top of the 9th, UW-La Crosse threatened a comeback with a three-run homer to cut the lead to just two.
Jackson Koenig (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) closed the door, striking out the final two batters to clinch the Warhawks' victory.
Benjy Tucker (Alpharetta, Ga./Mount Pisgah) was also granted the win in the second game, pitching 1.1 innings of relief, allowing just a single hit. Tucker finished the day 2-0 on the mound.
With the two wins, the Warhawks clinch the WIAC AQ bid and will await word from the NCAA on their NCAA Tournament opponent. The selection show is scheduled for Monday, May 11th.
