Pioneers extend winning streak to 14 games

Written by: Paul Erickson - Director, University Information and Communications

MENOMONIE, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team swept UW-Stout 2-1 and 4-1 Wednesday in Menomonie, keeping the Pioneers in first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Pioneers, 17-7 overall and 8-0 in the WIAC, ran their winning streak to a school-record 14 games, tied for the 16th best in conference history.

"To be honest, we don't think about that," Coach Eric Frese said. "We just go about our business the same way every day. We don't talk about the streak or anything like that. We just try and do the same things we have done since day one of practice in February."

Frese's club kept its streak alive with a dramatic victory in the opener, tying the game with two outs in the ninth on a bases-loaded ground out by Todd Wienkes that scored Joseph Skora. UW-Stout tried to turn a game-ending double play, but Wienkes beat out the relay throw to tie the score. Evan Greco's 10th-inning single brought home Tanner Galeazzi with the go-ahead run. Trevor Hall pitched the bottom of the 10th for the save, inducing a double play ground-ball to end the game. Nathan Fay pitched the first nine innings for the win, raising his record to 4-1.

A three-run second inning and the complete-game pitching performance by Eric Curtis keyed the second victory for the Pioneers. Jonny Frese hit a two-run double and eventually scored on Colin DeBoer's single in the second. Wienkes added an insurance RBI single in the eighth.

Those four runs were more than enough for Curtis, who scattered 10 hits but allowed just the one run in the sixth inning. He tossed the fifth complete-game for the Pioneers this season.

UW-Platteville faces a WIAC four-game series this weekend, when seventh-ranked UW-Stevens Point comes to Kendall Murray Field. Both Saturday's and Sunday's doubleheader begin at noon.

Frese resisted calling the series a big one, saying "we're not going to change anything we are doing. We're not so worried about who our opponent is or what their record is, but how we are playing. We need guys to continue to do their jobs, and we'll see what happens on the scoreboard when it's all done."