14-game win streak snapped as Pioneers drop series 3-1

Written by: Jeremy Williamson, Sports Information Student Assistant

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The Pioneers' 14-game win streak was snapped on Saturday, with the first of three losses in a series against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Kendall Murray Field.

UW-Platteville ended up 1-1 after Saturday's matchups against the Pointers and dropped both contests in seven innings on Sunday, placing the Pioneers second in conference behind No. 2 ranked UW-Whitewater with a WIAC record of 9-3 and an overall record of 18-10.

After trailing 12-5 by the end of the sixth, the Pioneers gave up seven runs in the top of the seventh and failed to tack on any more points as the Pointers took the first contest via slaughter rule, 19-5. Colin DeBoer and Evan Greco led the Pioneers with two hits each, while Casey Schroeder earned a team-high two RBIs to go along with two runs. 

In the second contest UW-Platteville took an early lead 2-0 by the end of the third inning off of a two-run homer from Schroeder. The Pointers rallied back with one run in the fifth and two in the sixth to take the lead, 3-2. In the bottom of the eighth Max Meitzler doubled to left-center to bring in Greco for the tying run. After a scoreless ninth the game headed to extra innings. A hitless tenth by the Pointers set the Pioneers up for a chance to win, but with two runners on and two outs, the Pioneers' Kyle Reinhart struck out swinging sending the game to the eleventh. UW-Stevens Point hit two home runs for three scores and nearly put the game away, but a Greco three-run triple in the bottom of the eleventh helped the Pioneers to even up the series 1-1 with a 7-6 victory over the No. 7 Pointers.

On Sunday the Pioneers got off to a rough start as the Pointers took a 12-0 lead in the top of the fourth. UW-Platteville rallied for six runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Pointers tacked on seven more over the next three innings to end the game early, 19-6. Infielder Zack Iverson led the Pioneers with three hits and Deboer and George Jester III racked up two RBIs apiece.

A five-run first inning helped the Pointers gain momentum of the second contest early. Three runs in the bottom of the fifth kept the Pioneers in the game, 9-5, but two scoreless innings and six more Pointer runs, 15-5, sent UW-Stevens Point home with the series win 3-1. Todd Wienkes led the Pioneers with two hits along with one run and pitcher Eric Curtis (2-2) earned his second loss of the year.

The Pioneers (9-3 WIAC, 18-10 overall) will have a chance to earn No.1 in conference again with a home series against the Eagles of UW-La Crosse (10-5, 17-8) on Tuesday with the games beginning at 1 p.m.