Buena Vista University scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, after UW-Whitewater had tied the game by scoring twice in the top of the inning, to win 5-4 Friday at the NCAA III World Series at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin. UW-W, 36-12, will continue play at 1:15 Saturday in the double elimination tournament. The Warhawks will play Western New England College, 41-10, a 2-1 loser to Keystone College late Friday night.
UW-W Baseball Championship Central Website
box score
photo gallery (Leah Thyne)
postgame news conference (Donovan, Eichstaedt, Vodenlich)
Kevin Kloewer led off the Buena Vista second with a single and moved to second on Joe Paletta's single. A balk moved both up a base, and Kloewer got the Beavers on the board on a ground ball out.
Daniel Putnam led off the third with a triple and Andrew Eichstaedt knotted the score with a sacrifice fly. Starting pitcher Jeff Donovan singled with two outs, and Brent Young doubled with Donovan scoring on a head first slide to give the Warhawks a 2-1 lead.
BV's Tyler Case led off the bottom of the third with a double, moved up to third on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly to even the game 2-2.
Kloewer, again, led off the Beaver fourth with a one out double. As they proved all game, BV efficiently moved him to third with a sacrifice and the final ninety feet with a ground ball out to take a 3-2 lead.
UW-W loaded the bases in the fifth, but couldn't change the scoreboard.
In the Buena Vista fifth, Dylan Colo walked and stole second base. The next batter laid down a bunt, but Whitewater catcher Rob Coe foiled the sacrifice by pouncing on the ball and nabbing the runner at third.
With BV at bat again in the sixth, the Beavers got their leadoff man on for the fifth straight inning, this time on a Mike Hoffman single up the middle. With one out, Kloewer hit a ball targeted for centerfield that Warhawk second baseman Travis Wessels snagged with a dive. While on his back Wessels flipped the ball over his head for the force at second. On the next pitch, Coe picked off a Beaver runner who strayed too far from first base.
If you went to the restrooms you missed something in this game. BV designated hitter Joe Paletta walked in the seventh. Andy Compton bunted and Whitewater went for the lead runner, the throw was late, and the relay to first hit Compton, which allowed Paletta to move to third. The next batter bunted for an infield single that UW-W misplayed to load the bases. A ground ball to third got the first out on a force at home. Brad Blum, the leading hitter for BVU, singled to score a run and leave the bases loaded. Eric Schmitz came in to relieve Donovan, and he induced a ground ball to third that again went home for out number two. Schmitz closed the inning with a strikeout, and BV leading 4-2.
Whitewater shortstop Andrew Eichstaedt led off the ninth reaching the hard way, hit by a pitch. Coe singled to put men and first and second, and Donovan followed with a hit that loaded the bases. A ground ball that resulted in a double play (the bad news) also brought UW-W within one, 4-3 (the good news). With two outs and a man on third BVU brought in reliever James Stone, who was greeted with a RBI single off the bat of Jared Fon to tie the game 4-4.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth Tyler Case walked and Blum singled to put men at first and second. Brock Yossi hit a long foul down the first base line that Warhawk first baseman #Brent Young# caught going away and up against the stands, and Case went to third. UW-W switched pitchers again, but Hoffman singled up the middle for the win.
Donovan went six and a third for UW-W, with Schmitz, 2-1, picking up the loss. Stone, 5-3, was the winning pitcher. Whitewater out-hit BVU 13-9, with Donovan and Young collecting three hits each. Five different batters knocked in a run for the Beavers.
Buena Vista, 33-16, will play Keystone College, 37-10, at 7:45 Friday.
