STEVENS POINT, Wis. – In a matchup of top-15 teams, the No. 15 UW-Stevens Point baseball team picked up a pair of important Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) victories over No. 3 UW-Whitewater, defeating the Warhawks 3-2 and 15-5 on Wednesday afternoon at University Field.
 
No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 3, No. 3 UW-Whitewater 2 | Box
 
Taylor Carlson (Madison, WI/La Follette) carried the offense for UW-Stevens Point (23-11, 12-8 WIAC), driving in all three of the Pointers' runs in the opener. Mitch Beau (Fond du Lac, WI/St. Mary Springs) took care of the rest, moving to 5-2 this season with seven innings of two-run ball.
 
Carlson gave UW-Stevens Point an early 2-0 lead with a two-run double to right-center field in the second inning, scoring Jimmy Coady (La Crosse, WI/Aquinas) and Ray Greco (Downers Grove, IL/North). The Warhawks came back two innings later, scoring twice in the top of the fourth to tie the game on a solo home run by Casey Power, who had three hits, and an RBI single by Adam Gregory.
 
The score remained 2-2 until the bottom of the sixth when Carlson lined a solo home run to left-center field to give the Pointers a 3-2 lead. The home run was the senior's third this season and accounted for the game-winning run.
 
In the fifth inning, the Warhawks had the game-tying run on third with nobody out and later had the bases loaded with two outs but Beau escaped the frame thanks to a pair of strikeouts. Two innings later, the senior again left the bases loaded, as UW-Whitewater left 12 runners on base.
 
Beau held the Warhawks to two runs on eight hits in seven innings to move to 5-2 on the season. He used a career-high eight strikeouts to offset four walks and three hit batters, before giving way to Nick Prebelski (Green Bay, WI/Notre Dame) who recorded his first save of the season with two shutout innings.
 
No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 15, No. 3 UW-Whitewater 5 (7 inn.) | Box
 
UW-Stevens Point scored five times in the first inning and scored a run in each of the first five innings on its way to a 10-run, seven-inning win in the nightcap. Cody Hanke (Marathon, WI/Marathon) led the way, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, three runs and four RBI, while Bobby Gregorich (Plover, WI/SPASH) also homered and knocked in four.
 
Gregorich opened the scoring by doubling in Riley Spetz (Sturgeon Bay, WI/Sevastopol) in the bottom of the first, who reached base in both games to extend his streak to 39 games dating back to last season. The Pointers also added runs on a balk, a Greco sacrifice fly, a Carlson double and the first-career triple by Mitch Beau (Fond du Lac, WI/St. Mary Springs).
 
Gregorich ripped a three-run home run to right field for his fourth long ball of the season to give the Pointers a 9-0 lead after three. Hanke accounted for four of UW-Stevens Point's final six runs, hitting a solo home run to right in the fourth and a three-run shot to right in the fifth. The two home runs give Hanke 11 this season, the most of any WIAC player.
 
UW-Whitewater scored four times in the top of the fourth to get within five, 9-4. After Gregory singled in a run and Mike Mierow doubled in another, Will Hebling plated two with a single to second.
 
Ben Miller (Union Grove, WI/Union Grove) picked up his fifth win of the season, tying Beau for the team lead, allowing four runs in 4.1 innings. Ryan Williams (Stevens Point, WI/SPASH) and Prebelski combined to throw the final 2.2 innings.
 
Five pitchers worked game two for the Warhawks, none lasting longer than two innings. All five pitchers were charged with at least one run.
 
Spetz matched his career-high with four runs scored, while Gregorich and Hanke each scored three times in addition to their four RBI apiece.
 
The sweep was UW-Stevens Point's first over UW-Whitewater since April 10, 2011, which was the team's last home doubleheader against the Warhawks. The 15 runs in game two were the Pointers' most vs. UWW since May 14, 2010 when UWSP won 15-7.
 
The Pointers play four games at UW-Superior this weekend, playing doubleheaders against the Yellowjackets at noon and 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. UW-Stevens Point is tied with UW-Platteville for third in the WIAC, two games ahead of UW-Oshkosh entering the final weekend of conference play.