April 21, 2013

Warhawks Sweep Series with Blue Devils

More news about: UW-Whitewater

UW-W won game one 7-4 and game two 12-8 to complete the four game series sweep of the UW-Stout Blue Devils Sunday at Prucha Field in James B. Miller Stadium in Whitewater.  The Warhawks improve to 22-4 overall and are in first place with a record of 13-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  The Blue Devils fall to 7-18 overall and 1-9 in the WIAC.  UW-W defeated UW-Stout 10-8 and 11-2 in a doubleheader on Saturday.
 
Photo Gallery (courtesy of Crystal Meyer, available for purchase)

In game one Dylan Friend (Burlington/Burlington) put the Warhawks on the board first popping a two run homer to left field in the top of the third inning.  (The Warhawks were the visiting team in the game as it was originally scheduled to be played in Menomonie but moved to Whitewater due to weather and field conditions.)
 
UW-W extended their lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Marty Herum (River Falls/River Falls) scored on a JT Schneider (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) groundout.
 
Stout tallied a run to make it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth scoring on a double play with runners on the corners.
 
After two scoreless innings, Jared Fon (Germantown/Germantown) pushed the Warhawks out ahead at 5-1 with a triple to right center that plated Friend and Michael Gonzalez (Delavan/Delavan-Darien).
 
Not long after, Stout retaliated with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 5-3.
 
The Warhawks remained persistent scoring two more in the top of the eighth to extend their lead to 7-3.  Gonzalez earned the two RBIs on a double down the left field line.
 
Stout was able to notch another run to make it 7-4 but that was all of the scoring as UW-W went on to win.
 
Justin Lambert (Mt. Horeb/Mt. Horeb) threw six and two-thirds innings, scattered ten hits and gave up three runs to earn the win to move to 5-1 this season.  Curtis Morgan (Green Lake/Green Lake) pitched a hitless inning and a third of middle relief and Justin Mortensen (Hartland/Arrowhead) closed out the game.
 
UW-Stout outhit the Warhawks 10-9 in the game.  The Warhawks' one through four batters accounted for eight of UW-W's nine hits, each collecting two.
 
Stout grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game scoring on a pair of doubles.

The Warhawks didn't let the Blue Devils lead for long as they scored four in the second to nab a 4-1 lead.  Marty Herum (River Falls/River Falls) led off the inning with a "routine" single to center, but the ball went between the legs of the Stout centerfielder and Herum came all the way around to score the Warhawks' first run of the game.  Mikole Pierce (DePere/DePere) followed with a solo homerun to make it 2-1.  Later in the inning Casey Power (Ontario, Canada/Belle River) singled through the left side to plate David Cladis (Joliet, IL/Joliet Catholic) and Dylan Friend (Burlington/Burlington) hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Trey Cannon (Palatine, IL/Palatine).

Whitewater added a run in the third to make it 5-1, and plated another in the fifth to make it 6-1.

Stout notched two in the bottom of the sixth to inch closer at 6-3, but UW-W got those two runs back in the top of the seventh on a two-run homer to left center by Power that made it 8-3.

The Warhawks added four insurance runs in the ninth to go up 12-3.  The inning was highlighted by a double steal in which Michael Gonzalez (Delavan/Delavan-Darien) stole second and JT Schneider (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) stole home.

Stout went down swinging, literally, as they scored five in the bottom of the ninth before being snuffed out by Curtis Morgan (Green Lake/Green Lake) to end the game 12-8. Morgan has pitched 13.1 innings this season and has yet to give up an earned run.

Scott Plaza (Arlington Heights, IL/Prospect) earned the win for the Warhawks to improve to 4-0 this season with a 2.27 ERA.  Plaza pitched six innings, struck out six, walked none, and gave up just one (of three possible) earned run.

UW-W totaled twenty hits in the second game, 29 for the day.  JT Schneider (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) led the way in game two with four hits, but Casey Power (Ontario, Canada/Belle River) had two big hits in five at bats to notch four RBIs and one run.

The Warhawks will travel to UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday, April 24, where they will resume a game that was suspended last Wednesday with the Titans holding a 4-0 advantage in the third.  Upon completion of that game, the two teams are scheduled to faceoff in three seven-inning games to complete the season series.