The No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team posted a comeback victory Wednesday in the second game of a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at UW-Oshkosh to take three of four games in the season series.
The Warhawks (19-4 overall, 9-3 WIAC) dropped the first game by a 10-6 score before winning 5-4 in the nightcap. UW-Whitewater is currently in second place in the conference behind UW-Platteville, which is 8-0 in the league.
In Game 2, freshman right-hander Lake Bachar pitched five shutout innings in relief of senior lefty Colin Grove. Bachar (4-0) allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out six.
The Warhawks took the lead for good in the top of the sixth. Senior left fielder Kyle Haen plated the tying run with a sacrifice fly, and freshman designated hitter Kyle Jones knocked in the go-ahead run with a two-out infield single.
Bachar left runners in scoring position in the seventh and ninth innings, striking out the final batter of the game with the game-tying run at third base.
The Warhawks manufactured a run in the first inning to take the early lead. Freshman centerfielder Daytona Bryden drew a leadoff walk, stole second, was moved to third on a groundout by sophomore third baseman Steve Chamberlain and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior shortstop Mikole Pierce.
UW-Whitewater added two more in the third as Bryden scored on a wild pitch and senior first baseman Casey Power hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate Chamberlain.
The Titans (11-13, 3-9) tallied three times in the third and once in the fourth to take the lead until the sixth.
In the opener, UW-Oshkosh tallied 16 hits and plated seven unanswered runs over its final two at-bats.
Senior right-handed pitcher Andrew Lowe was dealt the loss, falling to 0-1 on the year. Junior righty Curtis Morgan started and went two innings before being relieved by sophomore left-hander John Olejniczak, who tossed 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Power led the UW-Whitewater offense with three hits.
After the Titans took a 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first, the Warhawks tied the affair in the third. With two outs and nobody on, Chamberlain doubled to left, stole third and, after a walk by Pierce, scored on a base hit by Power.
UW-Oshkosh regained the lead in the bottom of the third, but UW-Whitewater tied the game again in the top of the sixth thanks to a two-run double to center by senior catcher Mike Mierow.
The Warhawks took the lead in the top of the seventh as Power delivered again with an RBI single to break the tie, and senior third baseman Adam Gregory doubled the team's advantage with a bases-loaded walk.
The Titans took the lead for good in the bottom of the frame with four unearned runs, and added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Power recorded his third RBI of the contest in the ninth, plating Chamberlain on a single to right.
UW-Whitewater hosts St. Norbert this Saturday in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. at Miller Stadium.