Pioneers split doubleheader against UWSP

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team spilt a double header against the UW-Stevens Point Pointers on Thursday, April 13, losing game one 10-8 and winning game two 8-1.

Nathan Fay and Tyler Vogel started the games for the Pioneers and Cole Erickson and Alex Thompson started for the Pointers. The Pioneers jumped out to an early lead in game one as Jonny Frese singled to score Mitch Marty and Curtis Barsness singled to score both Colin Deboer and Jim Pavlik and gave the Pioneers a 3-0 lead. The Pointers responded in the top of the second inning as a Tyler Thomka RBI single scored one and a wild pitch that scored John Popham and a RBI groundout by Tommy Duddleston were all able to tie the game at 3-3.

The Pioneers regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Mitch Marty single that scored Kyle Reinhart and gave the Pioneers a 4-3 lead. The Pointers took the lead for good in the top of the seventh inning. First, Jordan Carlson doubled to left field to score a run and tie the game at 4-4. They took the lead on a Ben Gerber RBI-single and added another run on a William Iloncaie fielder's choice that scored Gerber and also loaded the bases. The lead was broken open by the following batter as a Ryan Stanicek grand slam homerun to give the Pointers a 10-4 lead. The Pioneers cut into the Pointers lead in the bottom half of the seventh inning as RBI base hits by Frese and Kyle Reinhart cut the lead to 10-6. Later in the inning Curtis Barsness grounded out to shortstop to score JFrese and cut the lead again, moving the score to 10-7.  A Pioneers comeback fell just short in the bottom of the ninth as they picked up one run as Kearny Brennan earned a base loaded walk to cut the Pointers lead to 10-8. This was the final run of the game as the Pointers took game one 10-8.

Game two began as a pitching duel with the first run not coming until the top of the third as the Pointers broke the scoreless tie on a Gerber solo homerun. The Pioneers were able to grab the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, as a Jonny Frese sacrifice fly scored Jim Pavlik and tied the game, and a Kyle Reinhart single scored Josh Moses and gave the Pioneers a 2-1 lead. The Pioneers added onto their lead in the bottom half of the sixth inning, first on a Frese RBI single that gave the Pioneers a 3-1 lead. A Barsness groundout scored another run and a bases-loaded walk earned by Mitch Marty added another run. A Jim Pavlik bases clearing three-RBI triple later in the inning gave the Pioneers an 8-1 lead and ended the scoring for the game. The Pioneers were able to keep the Pointers of the board for the remainder of the game as they earned the 8-1 victory to split the doubleheader.

Written by: Jensen Melville, UW-Platteville Communications, 608.342.1194, pr@uwplatt.edu