Today is Thursday, November 28, 2024
By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Sunday, May 16, 2021
No. 3 UW-Whitewater Baseball Closes Regular Season With Road Win
The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team capped the 2021 regular season Sunday afternoon with a 7-6 victory in 13 innings at UW-Oshkosh in a non-conference game.
The Warhawks (34-5 overall), who clinched a share of the WIAC regular season championship on Saturday with two wins against UW-Eau Claire, will start the postseason Friday at 10 a.m. with a game against the highest remaining seed following Wednesday’s play-in games.
Catcher Ryan Norton posted the go-ahead hit with two outs in the top of the 13th inning Sunday, plating first baseman Donovan Brandl with a single to right field.
Pitcher Ben Muscatello earned his first win of the year by tossing the final three innings, pitching around a leadoff base hit in the bottom of the 13th to cap the contest.
UW-Whitewater took the early lead on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Jacob DeMeyer and a two-out, two-run double down the right field line by left fielder Matt Korman.
The Titans (20-18) got on the board with one run in the fourth before the Warhawks plated two more in the top of the sixth on two-out, RBI hits from Korman and Brandl.
UW-W tacked on one more in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from second baseman Sam Vomhof before UW-Oshkosh rallied to tie the game with three in the seventh and two in the eighth.
Connor Moroder started the game on the mound for the Warhawks, allowing one run and striking out six over five innings of work. Trey Bretl, Jim Jarecki and Matt O’Sullivan all pitched in relief before Muscatello entered the game to start the bottom of the 11th.
UW-Whitewater will host all games played Friday-Sunday in next week’s WIAC Championship, which is presented by Culver’s.
By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team finished as runner-up in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Presented by Culver’s with a 4-0 setback at UW-Oshkosh in the third game of a best-of-three series to decide the tournament title.
The Warhawks (29-10 overall) won Saturday’s second game by a 9-0 score in six innings to force Sunday’s contest. UW-W was the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament after sharing the regular season championship with the Titans (24-11).
On Sunday, UW-Whitewater matched UW-Oshkosh with six hits, but was unable to string together a rally after falling behind 2-0 through two innings.
First baseman Kaleigh O’Brien and outfielder Taylor Briehl led the offense with two hits apiece. Outfielder Vera Pflugradt and designated player Sophia Kinjerski each tallied one hit.
Starting pitcher Kate Cleveland took the loss, dropping to 9-4 on the year. Mallory Hollatz, Rhiann Dick and Marissa Adams all pitched in relief.
The NCAA Selection Show is slated for Monday at 12 p.m. on NCAA.com. The Warhawks were first in the most recent NCAA Great Lakes Region rankings.
By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Saturday, May 15, 2021
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team forced a third and decisive game in the final series of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Presented by Culver’s Saturday with a 9-0 victory in six innings at UW-Oshkosh.
After a 2-1 setback in the opener, the Warhawks (29-9 overall) posted 14 hits and held the Titans’ offense to two hits in the nightcap.
Catcher Nikki Mikosz led the offense with three hits, including a two-run homer. Outfielder Vera Pflugradt posted two hits, including a home, two runs scored and two runs batted in, and right fielder Taylor Briehl plated a pair of runs.
Third baseman Meg Cohrs tallied two hits, one run scored and one RBI, and shortstop Meghan Dunning recorded one hit and two runs scored. Left fielder Krista Sbarra finished 2-for-3 with one run scored, and first baseman Kaleigh O’Brien plated one run.
Mallory Hollatz pitched all six innings for UW-Whitewater, striking out three to improve to 4-0 for the year. She ran into trouble in the top of the fourth when the Titans (23-11) had runners at second and third with one out and the bases loaded with two outs, but induced a flyout to end the frame.
In the opener, UW-Oshkosh scored on a UW-W error in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead, but Mikosz plated Pflugradt with one out in the sixth to tie the game at 1-1.
The game went to extra innings after neither team pushed a run across in the seventh.
In the eighth, the Warhawks left two runners on base, and UW-Oskhosh scored on a two-out double to snap UW-W’s 12-game winning streak entering the day.
Pitcher Rhiann Dick took the tough luck loss, falling to 7-5 on the season. She struck out three batters and scattered five hits over 7 2/3 innings.
Sunday’s game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. in Oshkosh.
By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team secured a share of the program’s fourth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship and 20th in program history Saturday with back-to-back, run-rule wins over UW-Eau Claire at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.
The Warhawks (33-5 overall, 24-4 WIAC), who have earned the No. 2 seed in next week’s WIAC Championship, defeated the Blugolds 12-2 in seven innings in the opener before posting a 14-4 victory in Game 2 in eight innings.
Between games, UW-Whitewater recognized seniors Nick Santoro, Connor Spear, Jason Abatto, Taylor White, Connor Moroder, Ben Wilkins, Tucker Criswell, Jim Jarecki, Matt O’Sullivan and Director of Baseball Operations Ryan Hogan, who all graduated from the institution Saturday.
The Warhawks scored in all six of their at-bats during the first game, including a five-run third inning that included a three-run homer by left fielder Matt Korman.
First baseman Donovan Brandl finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while right fielder Jacob DeMeyer collected two hits, one walk, one run scored and two runs batted in. Korman plated four runs.
Criswell and Santoro tallied two hits and one run scored apiece. White homered and posted two hits, one walk, two runs scored and one RBI. Catcher Ryan Norton reached base twice with one hit and one walk and scored two runs, and second baseman Sam Vomhof registered one hit, one walk, one run scored and one RBI.
Starting pitcher Connor Spear struck out five batters over six innings of work to improve to 5-0 on the year. Ben Muscatello tossed a perfect seventh in relief.
In the nightcap, the two teams combined to leave 20 runners on base.
UW-Whitewater scored three in the bottom of the first to take an early advantage thanks to a two-run triple by White and an RBI infield single by Korman, but the Blugolds (5-33, 5-23) drew to within one after plating a pair in the top of the third.
Vomhof and Criswell hit back-to-back triples to open the third, with Criswell coming around to score on a passed ball. In the fourth, DeMeyer smashed a two-run double to left and White added a run-scoring single to right.
UW-Eau Claire threatened again in the sixth with two runs in and the bases loaded, but reliever Max Huseboe pitched out of the jam as UW-W held a 9-4 lead.
In the sixth, first baseman Ben Wilkins knocked a two-run double to left center, and Norton plated Wilkins on a squeeze bunt to make it 12-4.
The Warhawks tallied once in the seventh on a Criswell sacrifice fly, and pinch hitter Connor Moroder ended the game in the eighth by run rule on a single to deep right with the bases loaded.
Brandl (6-1) pitched five innings, scattering five hits and allowing two runs with a pair of strikeouts. Huseboe pitched the sixth, and Kade Lancour added two scoreless frames in relief.
UW-Whitewater concludes the regular season Sunday with a non-conference game at UW-Oshkosh. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
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