No. 5 Warhawk Baseball Topped in Regional Final

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Monday, May 31, 2021

The No. 5 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team fell just short Monday in its quest for a bid to the NCAA Division III World Series in an 8-7 defeat against 10th-ranked Adrian (Mich.) in the championship game of the NCAA Whitewater Regional at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Warhawks conclude the 2021 season with a 40-7 record after sharing the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 24-4 league record, claiming the conference tournament title and finishing as regional runner-up. UW-W posted a 3-2 mark at the regional tournament, including wins over fifth-seeded Luther, fourth-seeded Penn State Harrisburg and third-seeded Texas Lutheran, and made its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

UW-Whitewater, the No. 2 seed in the regional tournament and the visiting team in Monday’s championship game, held a 7-4 lead with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning before the top-seeded Bulldogs (36-8) rallied to tie the game at 7-7 to send the game into extra innings.

After the Warhawks stranded a runner at second base in the top of the 10th, Adrian won the game on a leadoff home run in the bottom half of the frame.

Pitcher Matt O’Sullivan tossed 8 2/3 innings, striking out 10 for his sixth double-digit strikeout performance of the season. His 125 strikeouts for the year are the second-most in one season in school history. Westin Muir and Ben Muscatello each threw in relief, with Muscatello (1-2) taking the loss.

Left fielder Matt Korman led the offense with three hits, including a solo homer and a two-run double, and finished with four runs batted in. His 22 doubles in 2021 are tied for the second-most in one season in the program record book, and his 68 RBIs are tied for the third-most.

Catcher Ryan Norton hit a two-run homer to start the scoring in the top of the second inning. First baseman Donovan Brandl plated UW-Whitewater’s other run with a groundout in the top of the ninth.

Second baseman Sam Vomhof and shortstop Nick Santoro each reached base twice, Vomhof on a hit and a walk, and Santoro on two walks.