La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team advanced to the NCAA Division III Baseball Midwest Regional Championship with a 12-3 win over Concordia University Chicago (Ill.) Friday afternoon at Copeland Park.  The Eagles, ranked fourth on the D3baseball.com Top-25 poll, improve to 37-8 on the season and will play Saturday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m. for the regional title and a berth in the NCAA III Championships May 27 in Appleton, Wisconsin.  UWL set a single-season school record with its 37th win Friday, breaking the record of 36 set in 2015.
 
Concordia Chicago (Ill.) drops to 34-12 and will play at noon Saturday in an elimination game against the winner of Luther College (Iowa) and Saint John's University (Minn.), who play at 7:45 p.m. Friday. 

"It was great to get out to an big lead early and even better to tack on some runs later in the game," said UWL head coach Chris Schwarz. "The team is playing well right now and they deserve to play for a regional championship."
 
UWL scored seven runs on six hits in the home half of the first, bringing 12 batters to the plate in the inning.  Joel Zyhowski and Alex Cordova walked to open the frame, bringing Taylor Kohlwey, the NCAA's leading hitter to the plate, who delivered with a double to left center to drive in Zyhowski and give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. 
 
With the hit, Kohlwey extended his hitting streak to 48 games, the second longest in NCAA Division III history.  He also tied his own school record (2014) with his 88th hit of the season, and broke the UWL single-season record for doubles in a season with 21. He broke his own school record of 20, also held by Cordova, set in 2015.
 
As the first inning continued, Justin Anderson grounded out to shortstop with Cordova scoring on the play to make it 2-0.  Anderson extended his UWL single-season RBI record to 78. 
 
A Carter Hoffman fly ball out to right drove in Kohlwey to make it 3-0, followed by consecutive singles from Alex Brown, Travis Buxton-Verstegen, and Ben Morgan.  Brown scored on Morgan's single to make it 4-0.  A double from Nate Heili drove in two more to increase the lead to 6-0, and Zyhowski's single drove in Heili to put the Eagles ahead 7-0.
 
Mitch Wilson singled to open the top half of the fourth for Concordia Chicago (Ill.). With one out, Kevin Coppin singled through the left side to put runners at first and second.  Andrew Kroncke singled to right, driving in Wilson and the Cougars were on the board at 7-1.  Colin Bethran followed with a single through the left side, driving in Coppin to cut the lead to 7-2. 
 
In the bottom of the inning, Anderson scored on a Buxton-Verstegan double to left to make it 8-2.  Anderson had singled and stolen a base earlier in the frame.
 
Morgan singled with the bases loaded and two out in the sixth, scoring Kohlwey and Brown to make it 10-2.  Kohlwey led off the inning with a walk, and Brown reached on a fielder's choice. Buxton-Verstegan, who also walked in the inning, scored on a Heili infield single, and UWL led 11-2.  
 
Kohlwey broke the single-season school record for hits in the seventh with a single, his 89th of the year.  After a Cordova double, on which he advanced to third on an error, Kohlwey singled through the right side scoring Cordova to make it 12-2.
 
Concordia Chicago (Ill.) got a run across in the eighth on a Joe Silva groundout. Bethran, who had singled to start the inning, scored on the play to make it 12-3. 
 
Jameson Lavery (8-1) earned the win for UWL, giving up two runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings.  He struck out six and walked two. 
 
Eight of nine UWL starters had a hit, with seven having at least two.  Zhyhowski was 4-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and one run.  Buxton-Verstegen finished 3-for-4 with with a double, RBI, and one run. Morgan and Heili both went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run.  Anderson added three hits, an RBI, and one run while Kohlwey was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and two runs. 
 
Mike Formella (8-2) took the loss for Concordia Chicago (Ill.), giving up seven runs on six hits in 1.0 inning of work.  He walked three batters. Bethran led the Cougars on 3-for-4 from the plate, including an RBI and one run. Wilson went 2-for-4 with one run.