Pioneers Dealt Close Loss By Tigers

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (2-6) took on Sewanee (9-8) for the second time in the past three days, this time falling 5-2 on Thursday morning in Pensacola, Florida.

Sophomore Ian Merry got the Pioneers on the board first with a one-out single to left in the top of the second inning that scored junior Grant Bossert. The Tigers responded with a three-run third inning on three RBI singles to take a 3-1 lead.

Sewanee got two more in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double and sacrifice fly to increase the lead to four before Merry drove in his second run of the game on a sacrifice fly that scored Bossert for a second time.

Trailing by three, the Pioneers got singles from Bossert and Merry to put two runners on in the top of the ninth, but the final batter flew out to right field to end the game.

UW-Platteville finished with six hits, with Bossert and Merry combining for four. Senior Wyatt Molitor and junior Slate Higa recorded the other two hits. Higa was active on the basepaths, as he tallied a pair of stolen bases.

On the mound, freshman Matthew Carlson fell to 0-1 on the season after allowing three runs on three hits across 2.2 innings. Freshman Peerson Kephart gave up the other two runs while striking out three across 1.2 innings, while freshman Josh Dahlgren made his season debut and allowed just one baserunner across the final 3.2 innings.

The Pioneers will play two games tomorrow to wrap up the spring break trip against Huntingdon (10 a.m.) and Lyon (1 p.m.).