Pioneers Win Trio Of Games On Senior Day

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – On senior day, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (10-15, 7-9 WIAC) collected three wins over UW-Eau Claire (6-16, 1-11 WIAC) on Saturday, including the conclusion of the suspended game from yesterday. The Pioneers won 20-10 in the resumed game, before winning 7-1 and 8-5 in the two games of today's doubleheader.

After holding a 14-9 lead before game two was suspended last night, the Pioneers scored six runs across the seventh and eighth innings to win 20-10. The long ball played a major role in the victory, as UW-Platteville connected on four home runs, resulting in 11 runs. Senior Grant Mullins hit two home runs in the game, a two-run bomb in the second and a three-run shot in the fourth, while senior Dillon Sunnquist and freshman Charlie Breen launched the other two.

The Pioneers finished with 13 total hits and drew 11 walks to consistently put pressure on Blugold pitching. Mullins and Breen each drove in five runs in the game, while Sunnquist (3) and sophomore Slate Higa (2) also knocked in multiple runs. Freshman William Hough was awarded the win, his first of his collegiate career, while freshman Jordan Stanton collected his first save after throwing the final three innings.

The long ball continued to be an important part of the UW-Platteville in game one of Saturday's scheduled doubleheader, as six of the Pioneers seven scored via a home run. In the bottom of the third inning, senior Zach McCoy and Mullins each hit a solo home run to give the home team a 2-0 lead. McCoy came through again in the bottom of the fourth with a grand slam to right center to put UW-Platteville up six.

Sophomore Isaac Bixby tossed a gem on the mound with a 98-pitch, complete game that featured 10 strikeouts. The lone UW-Eau Claire run scored via a throwing error in the fifth, and the Blugolds could only muster five hits and one walk against Bixby across nine innings.

McCoy finished with three hits and five RBI in the game, while Mullins drove in two, including a RBI triple in the eighth that resulted in the final run in scored in the Pioneers 7-1 win.

In game two, the Blugolds led 3-1 in the fourth until Breen blasted the Pioneers second grand slam of the day to take a 5-3 lead. UW-Eau Claire cut the deficit to one on a wild pitch in the seventh, but junior Parker Heidorf escaped the inning with a big strikeout to leave two runners stranded. UW-Platteville added three insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning on singles by sophomore Justin Fago and senior Wyatt Molitor as well as an RBI hit-by-pitch by junior Jordan Collins, to increase the lead to 8-4. UW-Eau Claire got one back in the eighth, but the Pioneers won 8-5.

Junior Hunter Hopkins, Fago, and Molitor combined for seven of the Pioneers 10 hits in game two, while Breen led the way with four runs driven in. Senior Brandon Molldrem picked up his first win of the season with five solid innings on the mound, and Heidorf and junior Jake Schneider combined to throw the final four innings of ball.

UW-Platteville will play its final scheduled home game of the season on Tuesday night when it hosts Edgewood in a non-conference game at 3 p.m.