Senior pitching leads Pioneers to sweep UW-Stout

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team earned its first conference doubleheader sweep of the season, beating UW-Stout, 9-5 and 5-1, on Saturday at Kendall Murray Field. 

The Pioneers and the Blue Devils were originally scheduled to play at Nelson Field in Menomonee, Wis., but unplayable field conditions forced the weekend series to be played in Platteville at Kendall Murray Field. 

GAME ONE: UW-Platteville 9, UW-Stout 5

The Pioneers scored a run in the top of the second and broke the game open in the third with help of a Blue Devil error that prolonged the inning. The Pioneers had runners on second and first with two outs and freshman George Jester III delivered with a two RBI double to give UW-Platteville a 3-0 lead. 

Stout got on the board in the bottom of the third making it a 3-1 game. 

The Pioneers responded with a run in the fourth and in the fifth, 5-1. The Blue Devils responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the fifth and then made it a two-run game by putting another one on the board in the seventh, 5-3. 

The Pioneers were hit by pitch three times the eighth and they took advantage of the free bases scoring two runs, and pushing their lead back to four runs, 7-3. 

After Stout led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and double, UW-Platteville's Tyler Nelson relieved senior Bill Oppriecht, who threw seven innings and struck out five. Nelson managed to keep the damage to a minimum, and only allowed two runs to score, 7-5. 

The Pioneers scored two insurance runs in the ninth with the help of two Stout errors. 

Senior Jon Lewerke led the Pioneers with three hits and Jester and fellow freshman Casey Schroeder each tallied two hits apiece. 

GAME TWO: UW-Platteville 5, UW-Stout 1 

Three Blue Devil errors helped UW-Platteville take a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. 

Jester came through again in the third inning, and scored junior Ryan Duva on a RBI single to left field. Lewerke kept his great day going with a RBI single giving the Pioneers a 4-0 lead. 

The Pioneers added another run the fifth frame to go up 5-0. 

Senior Adam Theis was an out away from a complete-game shutout, but a two-out RBI single in the ninth ended those hopes. Theis scattered eight hits and only walked three in this complete-game outing. 

The Pioneers and Blue Devils wrap up their weekend series with a doubleheader on Sunday starting at noon.