Pioneers Split Opening Day

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team split a pair of neutral site games Friday afternoon against Elmhurst and Wabash. The Pioneers opened the day with an exciting 7-5 comeback victory against Elmhurst before a slow start in the second game gave the Little Giants an 11-1 win in seven innings.

Senior Caleb Parker finished 3-for-7 on the day, including one double. Freshman Anthony Massa made his debut Friday and went 2-for-6, finishing with a team-high four RBI. Massa and senior Justin Fago each homered in the first game win.

Against Elmhurst, the Bluejays jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Massa's and Fago's pair of home runs in the bottom of the fourth inning each scored three runs, flipping the scoreboard in favor of the Pioneers 6-4. Massa batted in one more run in the bottom of the fifth for the Pioneers seventh run across a two-inning window.

Senior Isaac Bixby (1-0) captured the win in the first game of the season and struck out four, walked one, and allowed six hits and four runs across six innings pitched. Freshman Peerson Kephart (Sv, 1) secured the save and finished the first game on the mound, walking one and allowing two hits and one run.

In the second game, the Little Giants jumped out to a 5-1 lead after three innings and while the bats remained hot for Wabash, the Pioneers struggled to gain momentum on offense. The Little Giants outhit the Pioneers 11-2 and both teams committed three errors, with the Pioneers scoring their only run on an error in the third.

Saturday's game vs Elmhurst was cancelled due to temperature, so the Pioneers will return to the field in Lafayette on Sunday for a single game against Wabash at 11 a.m.