AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team took an early lead Friday afternoon and didn't let up in a 9-4 triumph over Lawrence in a non-conference affair at the RussMatt Invitational at Lake Myrtle Park.
The Warhawks (4-0 overall) scored in six of their eight innings at the plate, and four of the team's pitchers combined to strand 11 Viking baserunners in the contest.
Junior Sam Heilenbach picked up the win, allowing only one run while striking out six over five innings of work. Sophomore Connor Moroder tossed two scoreless innings in relief of Heilenbach, and freshman Westin Muir and sophomore Riley Gruetzmacher pitched the eighth and ninth, respectively.
UW-Whitewater's Nos. 1-3 hitters in the order combined for nine of the team's 12 hits. Senior centerfielder Daytona Bryden posted four hits, three runs scored and one run batted in, senior first baseman Blake Fleischman contributed three hits and two runs scored and junior third baseman Cal Aldridge registered two hits, two runs scored and three RBI.
Junior shortstop Nick Schrader added two hits, senior right fielder Brett Krause plated two runs and senior designated hitter Brent Feldner knocked in one run.
Aldridge gave the Warhawks the lead in the first on a sacrifice fly by Aldridge. Krause doubled the lead in the third with an RBI fielder's choice, and an error by Lawrence (4-10) later in the frame gave UW-Whitewater a 3-0 advantage.
The Warhawks tacked on one run in the fourth on a two-out single from Bryden, and Aldridge knocked another sacrifice fly in the fifth after the Vikings scored once in the top half of the inning.
UW-Whitewater put up three in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Krause, a wild pitch and a groundout by Feldner.
Lawrence tallied three runs and loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the eighth, but Muir pitched out of the jam, inducing a pair of flyouts around a strikeout.
Aldridge knocked home an insurance run with a base hit in the bottom of the eighth.
The Warhawks have a scheduled off day Saturday before taking the field Sunday against Grinnell (Iowa) at 10 a.m. Central Time.