Pioneers earn doubleheader split against No. 9 UW-Whitewater
Pioneer senior first baseman Zach Demmon paced the University of Wisconsin-Platteville offense in a doubleheader split against No. 9 UW-Whitewater Tuesday.
WHITEWATER, Wis. -- Pioneer senior first baseman Zach Demmon paced the University of Wisconsin-Platteville offense in a doubleheader split against No. 9 UW-Whitewater Tuesday.
The Schaumburg, Ill., native went 4-8 at the plate, smashing two home runs and collecting six RBIs on the day.
Game One
The Pioneers lost a lopsided opener against the Warhawks, falling in an eight-inning game one, 21-4.
Pioneer sophomore starting pitcher Austin Daniels was tagged with his first loss of the season.
Despite the loss, seniors Ryan Duva and Zach Demmon, along with sophomores Zack Iverson and George Jester III all picked up a pair of hits.
Demmon took full advantage of his opportunities at the plate, smashing a three-run home run in the third inning and cracking a double in the fifth.
Demmon's home run cut down the Warhawk lead to 5-4, but then UW-Whitewater rallied in the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth to expand the lead.
Game Two
Pioneer starting pitcher Mike Boushley came back with a strong second game, as he kept the Warhawks off the scoreboard for the first four innings.
Demmon continued his hot hitting in game two, as he drilled his second three-run homer of the day in the third to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead.
In the fifth, the Warhawks cut into the lead with a sac fly RBI, but the Pioneers got that run back in the sixth as Demmon scored from third base on a wild pitch.
Boushley stayed in the game in the eighth and found himself in a stressful situation. Already having allowed two runs in the inning to put the score at 4-3, the bases were loaded with two outs. He was able to keep the potential tying run stranded at third as he got help from Demmon, who snag a liner down the first base line.
Senior Tyler Nelson came out of the bullpen for Boushley in the ninth, and slammed the door on any hopes of a comeback with a 1-2-3 inning.
The Pioneer nine will make their season debut at Kendall Murray Field on Saturday with a doubleheader against WIAC foe UW-Stout.