Baseball uses eighth-inning rally to split with UW-Stout
An eighth-inning, two-run home run by senior Zach Demmon secured a doubleheader split for the Pioneers against UW-Stout at Kendall Murray Field on Saturday.
Written by Colten Bartholomew, UW-Platteville Sports Information Intern
An eighth-inning, two-run home run by senior Zach Demmon secured a doubleheader split for the Pioneers against UW-Stout at Kendall Murray Field on Saturday.
The Blue Devils won the high-scoring first game 16-10, but University of Wisconsin-Platteville was able to overcome a 3-0 deficit in game two to win 6-3.
Game One
The Pioneers were able to get on the scoreboard quickly, putting together back-to-back innings of scoring two runs in the first and second. John Walsh, Tyler Trautsch and Demmon all provided RBIs in the early rallies.
Pioneers starter Nathan Fay, who started the game strong, started to falter, allowing two runs in the third and four runs in the fourth.
Down 6-4, UW-Platteville got a run back in the fourth, but the Blue Devils took control in the fifth, scoring seven runs and taking a commanding lead in the game.
Demmon provided an RBI double in the Pioneers' sixth to ignite a three-run rally, and Trautsch hit a two-run home run in the eighth to narrow the lead to 13-10. UW-Stout answered with a three-run top half of the ninth to end the game's scoring.
Game Two
Roles were reversed in the second game of the doubleheader, as the Blue Devils scored two runs in the first and one in the second to take an early lead.
Despite early struggles, Pioneer starter Scott Drake maintained his composure and kept UW-Stout off the score board for the final 4.1 of his 6.1 innings pitched.
UW-Platteville got a boost in the third inning from Casey Schroeder, who drilled a two-run double down the left field line to put the team back into the game.
In the fourth, the Pioneers tied the game, this time on an RBI single from Schroeder.
The teams remained deadlocked at 3-3 until the bottom of the eighth, when it was Schroeder again delivering in a big spot, bringing home the go-ahead run of Zack Iverson, who started the decisive inning with a double.
With Schroeder standing on first, Demmon blasted a low-inside pitch over the left-centerfield wall, toward the setting sun and putting an end to the Blue Devils hope for a sweep.
The two teams will square off in another doubleheader tomorrow, beginning at noon.
