The No. 8 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team clinched its 17th Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship and fourth in the last five years Friday afternoon with a two-game sweep at UW-Oshkosh.
The Warhawks (28-6 overall, 15-3 WIAC), who also wrap up the top seed and hosting privileges for next week's WIAC Championship tournament, downed the Titans 9-3 in the opener before finishing the day with a 7-1 triumph in Game 2.
In the first game, the Warhawks tallied six runs in the top of the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie and held control of the contest the rest of the way.
Junior Heath Renz improved to 7-0 on the season, scattering six hits over seven innings of work. The right-hander stranded two UW-Oshkosh runners each in the third and fourth innings to help set up UW-Whitewater's big fifth. Senior Mike Nompleggi tossed the final two frames in relief.
Senior second baseman Steve Chamberlain knocked a grand slam to highlight the UW-Whitewater offense, which totaled 11 hits. Junior first baseman Blake Fleischman doubled and knocked in two runs.
Senior shortstop Jordan Kuczynski posted a team-best three hits, and junior centerfielder Daytona Bryden and sophomore left fielder Matt Wary collected two hits apiece. Junior right fielder Brett Krause and sophomore catcher Mike Aiello each tallied one RBI.
In the nightcap, the Warhawks registered 12 hits and took advantage of four errors by UW-Oshkosh (22-16, 11-7) to back junior pitcher Austin Jones, who surrendered only five hits in a complete-game effort. The right-hander struck out seven to improve to 7-2 on the year.
Fleischman knocked a two-run double to put UW-Whitewater ahead in the top of the third, and after the Titans drew to within one run in the fourth, Bryden connected for a two-out, RBI single in the fifth.
The Warhawks added two more in the eighth on an error and a two-out, run-scoring hit by Kuczynski. Bryden mashed a two-run homer to left field in the ninth to give UW-Whitewater a six-run advantage.
Jones pitched around a two-on, no-out jam in the eighth thanks to a 4-6-3 double play and left a one-out double stranded in the ninth.
The Warhawks' four-game series at UW-Oshkosh resumes Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon.