Schmitt's 2-HR Game Helps Eagles Take Two From Pioneers

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team came to Platteville on Tuesday and took a pair from the UW-Platteville Pioneers in WIAC mid-week action, by the scores of 18-6 and 13-6.  The losses were the first conference blemishes for Platteville who came into the day 8-2 overall and 4-0 in the WiAC after sweeping a pair of doubleheaders last weekend vs. Finlandia.  The day's losses snap a stretch that saw the Pioneers (8-4, 4-2) having won eight of their last nine.  La Crosse bounced back after dropping 3 of 4 to #16 UW-Whitewater last weekend and with Tuesday's wins improve their overall mark to 8-4, 3-3 in the WIAC.  The twinbill began a stretch that will see the two teams face each other six times over the span of the next five days.  Friday they will meet for a pair in La Crosse before returning to Kendall Murray Field in Platteville for a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday.

WP - Zach Pronschinske (2-1)
LP  - Michael Greco (0-1)

As would be the case in both games, Platteville jumped out to a lead in the early innings of the opener.  The Pioneers scored five, 2-out runs in the second inning to take a 5-1 lead.  Jason Adams (So./Burlington, Wis.) and Andrew Zakula (So./Oak Creek, Wis.) each provided 2-RBI hits during the rally.  The Eagles got two runs back in the next half inning against starter Michael Greco (Jr./Bolingbrook, Ill.) to pull within 5-3.  Then in the fifth, the wheels came off for Platteville as the Eagles' would send 13 batters to the plate, the first nine of which would not only reach base but also score before the Pioneer defense was able to record an out.  La Crosse continued the offensive onslaught in the sixth inning, batting around again and adding 5 more runs to their tally, taking a 17-6 lead.

Platteville's bats largely went silent after the big second inning, as they would be unable cut into the deficit by the end of the seventh inning thus falling victim to the "run rule" in game one.  Outfielders Jonny Kelso and Ross Krist led the Pioneer offense with two hits apiece.

WP - Alex Mach (1-0)
LP  - Sam Arnold (1-1)

The script for game two tracked similar to the opener as once again the Pioneer scored five runs and held a lead after the initial three frames.  Through five home games played thus far at Kendall Murray Field, there had been no home runs hit by either the home team nor the visitors.  That changed in a big way in game two.

After an unearned run in the top of the first gave the Eagles an early lead, the Pioneers responded right away.  With one out in the bottom of the first Jonny Kelso (Jr./Villa Park, Ill.) took an outside fastball from starter Jack Mizgalski and went the other way with it for an opposite field home run over the fence in right.  One inning later, the left-hand hitting Krist gave Platteville a lead with a booming home run of his own to right.

Both teams would score three runs in the third.  In the top half, it was the Eagles' turn to go deep as clean-up hitter Brennan Schmitt belted a three-run shot giving La Crosse a 4-2 advantage at the time.  The Pioneers responded with three of their own in the bottom of the inning but it could have been more.  With two runs already in, the bases loaded, and one out, Platteville chased starter Mizgalski.  UWL head coach Chris Schultz went to his pen and summoned Alex Mach.  Mach, who has been virtually unhittable this season posting a 0.00 ERA and allowing only 1 hit in 9 innings of relief continued that trend Tuesday.  After allowing an RBI single to the first batter he faced, which gave the Pioneers the lead back, 5-4, Mach put the Pioneer offense in lockdown mode the rest of the way.  By the time he was lifted in the eighth, Mach had tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed just 2 hits, striking out six and walking none.

And while the Pioneer bats went silent, La Crosse continued piling up runs.  A three run 6th, highlighted by Schmitt's second HR of the game, this time a 2-run shot, a run in the seventh and four more in the ninth were more than enough to earn UWL the 13-6 win.  In addition to Kelso and Krist's home runs, 3B Austin Pullara (Fr./Morris, Ill.) produced at the plate collecting three hits in four at bats.

Defensive woes, especially on the infield, plagued the Pioneers all afternoon amounting to seven errors between the two contests.

"Today I felt our youth really showed," said Pioneer head coach Chad Harris after the game, "we allowed La Crosse too many extra outs and they did a great job capitalizing on every mistake we made.  But we can't just let youth be an excuse.  We have to mature on the fly if we want to compete within this conference."