The No. 7 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team clinched the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship outright Saturday with a pair of close victories at UW-Platteville.
 
The Warhawks (33-6 overall, 25-3 WIAC), who will host next week's WIAC Tournament, defeated the Pioneers 7-3 in 12 innings in Game 1 before rallying over the final two innings in the nightcap for a 7-4 triumph.
 
In the opener, UW-Platteville (12-21, 10-16) hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.
 
UW-Whitewater left three runners on combined in the 10th and 11th frames before touching home plate four times in the 12th. Left fielder Matt Scolan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) gave UW-W the lead with an infield single before shortstop David Rubin (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North), designated hitter Sam Paden (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) and second baseman Sam Vomhof (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) drew bases-loaded walks to increase the advantage to four.
 
Nick Rector (Sewell, N.J./Clearview Regional) pitched 3 2/3 innings of relief for his first win of the year, striking out five over that span. Cam Anfang (Sullivan, Wis./Jefferson) started the contest and tossed 5 1/3 frames with five strikeouts before Cade Berendt (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) took over and pitched the next two innings. Joey Pettit (West Bend, Wis./Marquette University HS) pitched around a leadoff single in a scoreless bottom of the 12th.
 
Neither team scored until the sixth inning, when Scolan drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Warhawks on the board. The Pioneers got it right back in the sixth on a solo homer.
 
UW-Whitewater took the lead back in the top of the seventh thanks to sacrifice flies by first baseman Nick Paget (New Berlin, Wis./West) and right fielder Jacob DeMeyer (Harshaw, Wis./Rhinelander).
 
DeMeyer finished 3-for-4 with one walk, one run scored and one RBI to lead the offense. Paden reached base four times with three walks and one hit and added one run scored and one RBI. Scolan posted one hit, one walk, one run scored and two RBIs, while Rubin collected one hit, one walk and one RBI.
 
In Game 2, the Warhawks trailed 4-0 heading to the top of the eighth, when they scored four times to tie the game. DeMeyer started the rally with a sacrifice fly. Scolan followed with a bases-loaded walk before catcher Ryan Norton (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) hit an RBI single to center.  Rubin walked with the bases loaded to level the game at 4-4.
 
After Max Huseboe (Ripon, Wis./Ripon) struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth, UW-W took the lead thanks to DeMeyer's run-scoring single to left and a two-run base hit to left by third baseman Matt Korman (Waterford, Wis./Waterford Union).
 
Huseboe (1-0) finished up in the ninth, pitching around a leadoff single.
 
Paget finished 3-for-3, including a triple, with two walks and two runs scored. Korman reached three times with one hit and two walks and added one run scored and two RBIs. DeMeyer plated a pair and added one hit and one run scored.
 
Hayden Fox (Stockton, Ill./Stockton) pitched the first six frames and struck out four. Paden pitched the seventh before Huseboe came on the eighth.
 
UW-Whitewater begins play in the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) Thursday at 1 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.