After falling to Bethany Lutheran in the NCAA Regional Tournament, the Warhawks defeated Macalester College in a dramatic fashion, with
Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) hitting the solo walk-off home run to send the Warhawks into the Regional Final for a rematch against the Vikings.
In game one on the day for the Warhawks, it was a back-and-forth affair between the Vikings & UW-Whitewater. BLC took an early lead after a solo home run in the second, followed by an RBI doubles in the third inning.
Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) was able to knot it up at 2-2 with a 2 RBI single.
Bethany Lutheran then used a 30-run fifth inning to retake the lead at 5-2. But
Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) had the sacrifice fly in the fifth to cut it away. An inning later,
Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) hit a 2 RBI double to tie the score. The score didn't stay knotted for long with a solo home run for the team to get the go-ahead in the 7th.
Leyten Bowers (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) came through & put the Warhawks up in the 8th, hitting a 2 RBI single. In the 9th inning, the Vikings tacked on two runs, putting pressure on the Warhawk offense. The Warhawks were unable to walk it off in the first game of the day, falling to Bethany Lutheran, 8-7.
In the decisive next game, it was win or go home for the Warhawks & Scots out of Macalester. Macalester was able to jump out to an early lead with a three-run third inning.
Bowers was able to get the Warhawks on the board after trading places with
Evan Olson (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) after back-to-back doubles. But another crooked number in the 4th helped the Scots reestablish a four-run lead.
The Warhawks loaded up the bases in the fourth, grabbing a run on an
Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) single, then another run from a walk drawn by Bowers. Bowers RBI walk put the Warhawks back within two.
Macalester was able to retake the four-run lead in the 6th. But a huge bottom of the frame helped the Warhawks take a lead heading into the final 3 innings.
UW-Whitewater loaded the bases up in the 6th, with
Jackson Spring (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) being hit by a pitch to bring in a run. Down by three, it was
Keli Grennier (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) with the blast out to left center for the grand slam, his third of the NCAA Tournament. Grennier put the Warhawks up by one run, their first of the game.
Macalester was able to score a run in the 8th to tie it back up, but
Franklin Kirchner (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant) closed the door on the mound, not allowing any go-ahead runs from the Scots.
Kirchner struck out the side in the 9th, bringing his K total to 8 in 3.2 innings of work.
With a tie game in the 9th, the Warhawks had three more outs to end the game in regulation.
Landen Seymour (Rockton, Ill./Honongah) drew a lead-off walk, but pinch runner
Maddux Hibbard (Rockton, Ill./Hononegah) was caught in a double-play to clear the bases. With two-outs, it was up to the catcher to decide the outcome.
Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), who began the first game of the NCAA Tournament against Macalester with a lead-off home run, decided to end it against the Scots with a solo shot to left field.
Holland's homer was the decisive run, sending the Warhawks past the Scots and setting up the rematch against Bethany Lutheran.
UW-Whitewater will face the Vikings tomorrow, with the first pitch coming at 11 am. If the Warhawks win the first game, the "if necessary" game will begin 45 minutes following the game.
