Pioneers Sweep MSOE Behind Strong Pitching

GLENDALE, Wis. – A pair of strong pitching performances helped the University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (4-2) earn the weekend sweep of MSOE (2-3) with two more wins on Sunday by scores of 5-4 and 5-1 from MSOE Raiders Stadium.

Game One

Junior Mason Molitor opened the scoring in game one with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second that plated senior Brady Katterhagen. The Raiders answered with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning, and then added two more in the third to take a 3-1 lead.

The Pioneers took the lead with a four-run seventh inning, highlighted by RBI doubles by senior Grant Bossert and freshman Anthony Massa. The go-ahead run in the inning scored on an error that allowed Bossert to cross the plate.

MSOE hit another home run in the bottom of the eighth, but sophomore Peerson Kephart came through with the two-inning save to help UW-Platteville hold onto the one-run win. The save is Kephart's second of the season.

Senior Isaac Bixby improved to 2-0 on the season after throwing seven solid innings. He allowed three runs on six hits while striking out seven.

UW-Platteville finished with six hits, led by freshman Danny Hodel's two. Three of the six hits went for extra bases, and the Pioneers were active on the base paths with stolen bases by Molitor and Hodel.

Game Two

Neither team could muster up much offense for the first seven innings, until the Pioneers broke through in the top of the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by sophomore Bradyn Delaney that scored senior Jake Wegner and junior Sam Meidenbauer. UW-Platteville would add three more to the lead in the ninth, on an RBI single by freshman Trinity Beland and a two-run double by Meidenbauer.

MSOE loaded the bases in the bottom half of the ninth and scored on run on a hit by pitch, but a fly out ended the game with the Pioneers taking the 5-1 win.

Senior Brady Hoppert threw six shutout innings for the Pioneers, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out three. He gave way to freshman Brayden Schimmel for the final three frames, with Schimmel picking up the win while allowing just one hit and one unearned run.

The Pioneers totaled 10 hits in game two, while also drawing five walks. Hodel reached base three times with two hits (including a triple) and a walk, while Delaney walked twice, drove in a pair of runs on his lone hit, and stole one base.

Up Next

UW-Platteville will return to the field in two weeks for the 2025 home opener on Sunday, March 23. The Pioneers will take on Edgewood in a doubleheader with game one scheduled for noon.