Pioneers reach second-most wins
Posted May 3, 2009
By Paul Erickson, UWP Sports Information Director
UW-Platteville won its 21st game for just the second time ever, beating UW-Stevens Point 4-2 Sunday then took the Pointers to the final pitch before falling 3-2.
The Pioneers finish the season 21-19, including 11-13 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the most wins the Pioneers have ever registered in league play.
"Going into the season, we wanted to make sure this was a big year as far as development of the program, get this thing going and take it to the next level," Coach Eric Frese said. "These guys did a great job, 21-19 and we were right there. We had a bit of a swoon in the middle, but I'm very proud of them. They set the tone for the future."
With the Pioneers' win in the first game, UW-Stevens Point (27-13, 15-9) settled for a three-way tie for the WIAC championship with UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater. Those three teams will be joined by UW-La Crosse in next weekend's league playoffs in Whitewater.
The Pioneers took a 2-0 lead without a hit in the opener, as the Pointers committed four errors in the first three frames. James Gallagher beat out a two-out infield hit in the sixth, scoring Brenden Watson from third for a 3-0 advantage.
Sophomore Justin Crotty pitched the game of his young career, shutting out the Pointers for the first seven innings. He tossed a three-hitter, striking out four. Wil Osmanski threw the final two frames for his first save since 2007, ending the game on a groundout with two runners on base.
In the nightcap, Joe Lange pitched into the ninth and made WIAC history. He struck out six batters, bringing his career total to 247, tying for fourth all-time in the league.
Eric Fritz, Kyle Cummings and Jeremy Richter hit consecutive doubles in the fifth, staking Kyle Barry to a 2-0 lead.
The Pioneers finally reached Barry in the ninth, scoring twice. Steve Bomkamp and Jason Jacobson singled home runs in the inning, but reliever Jeff Zielke ended the threat with two outs when Kevin Osmanski flied out.
"We were one hit away from tying it and potentially winning it if the ball gets in a gap," Frese said. "These kids never quit all year. They're a tough group."
The Pioneers saluted nine seniors in between games: Brent Cashore, Corey Connolly, Joe Cox, Aaron Daniels, Lee Hawkins, Eric Krueger, Lange, Kyle Mack, and Matt Paulus.
"We put it on the senior class to be the one that 10 years from now, we'll look at the 2009 seniors as the ones who got this program going," Frese said. "I couldn't ask for anything more from those guys, and I'm going to miss them tremendously."
The weekend capped a whirlwind week for the Pioneer coach, as he, his wife Alisha, and son Jackson welcomed Cora into the family.
"Baby girl born Thursday and not much sleep going into the weekend, so all in all it's been a pretty exciting spring for the Frese family," he said.
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