Pioneers comeback to sweep Chicago

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team scored four runs in the seventh, earning a 7-6 comeback victory over Chicago, and then completed the sweep, beating the Maroons 5-4 in the nightcap on Saturday at Kendall Murray Field. 

The Pioneers trailed 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh and draw two one-out walks. Head coach Eric Frese then called up left-handed batters, sophomore Tyler Trautsch and junior Bobby Bean, to go against Chicago's right-handed submarine pitcher. Trautsch and Bean both came up with pinch-hit RBI singles, putting the Pioneers within one, 6-5. Bean then stole second, putting two runners in scoring position, and sophomore Todd Wienkes came through in the clutch with the walk-off hit, 7-6. 

UW-Platteville was down 6-1 going into the bottom of the fifth, and a Maroon miscue helped the Pioneers make it a four-run game, 6-2.

The Pioneers manufactured another run in the sixth frame, 6-3, to get with in striking distance in the final inning. 

Freshman Kyle Reinhart came in relief in the middle of the fifth, and shutdown Chicago to earn the win. Reinhart only allowed one hit in the 2.1 innings of work. 

The Maroons scored all four of their runs in the second frame of the nightcap, but the Pioneers answered with three of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Chicago gave UW-Platteville an extra, and senior Ryan Duva made them pay with a three-RBI double, 4-3. 

The Pioneers found some two-out hitting in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. Trautsch singled to right field to score senior Zach Demmon, tying it up 4-4. Jester then delivered the go-ahead RBI single, 5-4. 

Junior Mike Boushley came in the sixth to close the game out. He managed to get out of small jam in the sixth, and then struck out a pair to earn the save in the seventh.

Freshman Eric Curtis came in the middle of the second and scattered three hits in his 3.1 relief innings to earn the win. 

Duva and Jester accounted for four of the Pioneers six hits. 

The Pioneers travels to Edgewood on Sunday for a single non-conference game starting at 3 p.m.