Baseball lets the Warhawks slip past, twice

WHITEWATER, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team dropped its opening conference doubleheader to UW-Whitewater, 8-5, 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon at Miller Stadium.

GAME ONE: UW-Platteville – 5, UW-Whitewater - 8 

UW-Platteville jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first inning.  Sophomore Bobby Bean led off the game with a triple and scored on a ground out in the next at bat.  With two outs, the Pioneers loaded the bases and senior third baseman Jon Lewerke hit a bases clearing triple to left center.  Lewerke came around to score Platteville's fifth and final run when the fellow senior Tyler Jacobson singled up the middle.  UW-Whitewater removed starting pitcher Tom Kerndt in favor of Scott Plaza who got the next hitter out to end the inning.

The Warhawks started to chip away at the Pioneers' lead in the fifth with a two RBI single up the middle.

Two innings later, the Warhawks used three doubles to plate two more and inch closer at 5-4.

UW-Platteville's Bill Oppriecht allowed a leadoff double in the seventh before getting a line out to third and relieved by freshman Shane Sosinsky. The rookie got the second out but getting the final out became a challenge. The Warhawks tied the game up with a  RBI double and took the lead with a RBI triple, 6-5. UWW added two insurance runs in the eighth making it a 8-5 ballgame.

Oppreicht earned the no-decision while striking out three and giving up five runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings. Sosinsky took his first loss of this early career and allowed two hits and a run in a third of an inning.

Junior Zach Demmon, Lewerke and Jacobson each registered two hits with Ryan Duva and Bean getting the other two hits.

GAME TWO: UW-Platteville – 3, UW-Whitewater – 4

The Warhawks didn't waste any time to strike first in the night cap and scoring two runs in the first.

The Pioneers were held scoreless until the eighth when they scored three runs and taking a 3-2 lead. Bean started the eighth with a double and scored three batters with three consecutive walks. Freshman Ryan Lehman tied the game up with a RBI single and Jacobson earned a RBI walk to give the Pioneers the lead.

The Pioneers' lead was short lived as the Warhawks tied the game up, 3-3, in the bottom half of the eighth.

UW-Whitewater managed to load up the bases with one out and a walk-off hit single to right field from Mike Mierow gave UWW the 4-3 victory.

Sophomore Mike Boushley suffered the loss throwing a complete-game. The Hortonville, Wis. native, struck out seven and only allowed four runs on 15 hits.

Duva, Jacobson, Lehmann and George Jester III all tallied two hits.

The Pioneers will return to UW-Whitewater on Friday and Saturday to play their four game series with UW-Stevens Point due to unplayable field conditions at UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point. Friday's doubleheader is scheduled to start at noon and Saturday's twin bill at 10 a.m.