SUPERIOR, Wis. – The No. 15-ranked UW-Stevens Point baseball team secured its spot in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Baseball Championship and stretched its winning streak to eight games by sweeping UW-Superior 11-2 and 4-0 on Sunday at Ted Whereatt Field.
No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 11, UW-Superior 2 | Box
UW-Stevens Point (27-11, 16-8 WIAC) slugged five home runs, including back-to-back-to-back home runs in the second, to power its way past UW-Superior (6-33-1, 2-22 WIAC) in the opener. The five home runs were the most by the Pointers since last year's team hit five in an 18-6 win at UW-Stout on May 3, 2014.
Jimmy Coady accounted for two of the Pointers' five home runs, recording the first two-home run game of his collegiate career and driving in four runs. His three-run shot to right opened the scoring with one out in the first inning.
Coady also hit the middle of three consecutive home runs in a span of four pitches in the second, which gave the Pointers an 8-0 lead. Kyle McHugh started the barrage with a two-run shot to left, Coady followed with his second of the game to right and Cody Hanke hit the next pitch out to right for his 12th home run of the season.
Bobby Gregorich hit the fifth UWSP long ball of the game, homering to right in the eighth to plate the Pointers' 11th and final run. The five home runs accounted for eight of UW-Stevens Point's 11 runs. Taylor Carlson had his sixth game this season with at least three hits, going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
The Yellowjackets scored both of their runs in the fifth inning as Alex Petroski and Matt Vold had RBI singles off Mitch Beau. Beau won his team-best sixth game of the season, throwing seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
Beau gave way to Ryan Williams and David VanVliet for the eighth and ninth innings and each reliever allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning.
Gregorich's home run was the only hit the Pointers got off UW-Superior reliever Riley Grandson, who struck out seven in four innings of relief. UW-Stevens Point's 40 home runs this season are the most by the team since 2010 (56) and are tied for the third-most of any team in the country.
No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 4, UW-Superior 0 | Box
Ben Miller turned in the longest start of his freshman season, holding UW-Superior to two hits over eight shutout innings to join Beau with a team-best six wins this season. Miller outdueled Damien Wiblin, who limited the Pointers to three earned runs and struck out seven in a complete game loss.
Gregorich gave Miller the only run he would need with a two-out RBI single to left in the third, scoring Ray Greco after the freshman singled to start the inning. The Pointers doubled their lead in the sixth when Carlson doubled in Hanke with two outs.
UW-Stevens Point added another run in the seventh on Spetz's RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 16 games and his streak of reaching base safely to 43 consecutive games. The Pointers scored their third two-out run of the game in the ninth on an RBI double to left by Hanke.
The only time Miller allowed a runner to reach second base was in the first inning, when the Yellowjackets had a runner on second with one out. The freshman walked two and struck out six in his eight shutout innings before Nick Prebelski closed out the ninth.
Seven UW-Stevens Point batters had at least one hit, led by Carlson and Greco with two each. Three UW-Superior hitters had one hit apiece.
With the wins, the Pointers will be the third seed and will face second-seeded UW-La Crosse in the 2015 WIAC Baseball Championship, beginning on Friday, May 8. Prior to that, UW-Stevens Point hosts Ripon for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, May 5 at 1 and 4 p.m. at University Field.