The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team opened up the NCAA Regional Tournament with a 13-4 win over Macalester College at Prucha Field. Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) set the tone early with a lead-off home run as the Warhawks scored at least one run in seven of their eight offensive innings.
Jackson Koenig (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) got the start on the mound, retiring the Scots to get the Warhawks going early. Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) followed it up with a lead-off home run on just the third pitch he saw to put the Warhawks up 1-0.
In the second inning, Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) added an RBI single, followed by RBI double from Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North). Keli Grennier (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) added the next runs in the third inning with a 2-RBI homer to left center, his first of the day.
The Warhawks threatened to extend their 6-0 start to the game, loading up the bases in the bottom of the 4th, but an inning-ending double play got Macalester out of it. The Scots turned the momentum into offense with three runs in the top of the 5th on back-to-back RBI doubles.
Wyatt Jensen (Luck, Wis./Luck) tacked on an RBI single in the 5th to get the Warhawks back up to a four-run lead.
After putting a zero back up on the board at the top of the 6th, the Warhawks had their biggest inning of the day with a 5-run spot in the bottom of the frame. Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) kick-started the run with a solo shot to center field. Keli Grennier (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) blasted his second home run of the day to tack on another three runs. Jensen added the last touch with an RBI single to put the Warhawks up 12-3.
Macalester was able to add another run on a fielder’s choice, but Leyten Bowers (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) got it back with an RBI double in the 7th. The Warhawks took the win 13-4, with Skyler Sievert (Laguna Niguel, Cal./Dana Hills) pitching the final three innings to earn the save.
The Warhawks will face the winner of Luther and Bethany Lutheran in the 2:30 PM game on Saturday, May 16th at Prucha Field. Most everything you need to know may be found on UW-W’s Regional Tournament page. That includes admission costs, parking info (remember, Saturday is commencement, so parking arrangements will change), and the schedule for the tournament. Also see the Gameday Central page for further information.
