Marion, Iowa - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team earned a doubleheader sweep over UW-Platteville Monday afternoon at Prospect Meadows Sports Complex. The Eagles took the opener, 10-0 in seven innings and the nightcap, 6-1. UWL improves to 14-3 overall and 7-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while UW-Platteville drops to 5-12 overall and 2-6 in the conference.
UWL extended its winning streak to seven with Monday's sweep. The Eagles have won 13 of their last 14 games overall.
Tyler Schmitt (3-0) earned the win in the opener, throwing the eighth no-hitter in school history. He went 7.0 innings, allowing five walks while striking out seven. Schmitt retired the first nine batters of the game. UW-Platteville loaded the bases on three walks in the bottom of the sixth, but Schmitt got Mitchell McLaughlin to ground into an inning ending double play. Schmitt struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh, including Mitchell Pomeroy for the final out of the game.
It is the first no-hitter for UWL since Connor Cook against Concordia University-Chicago (Ill.) on April 18, 2019. Schmitt and Cook join Arnie Wilhelm (vs. UW-River Falls on May 7, 1941), Jesse McComb (vs. Winona State University on May 25, 1955), Ron Joten (vs. Arkansas State University on April 12, 1974), Rob Fornisiere (vs. Hartwick University in 1976), Jared Manske (vs. Winona State on April 11, 2000) and Kyle Kaufmann (vs. UW-Superior on May 1, 2004) to record no-hitters at UWL.
UWL took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second in Monday's opener with Ty Hamilton and Chris VandenHeuvel scoring on Logan Pye's two-run single. The Eagles made it 3-0 in the top of the third with Anthony Vivian scoring on George Seaman's RBI groundout. Jack Moran's groundout in the top of the fourth extended the lead to 4-0 scoring VandenHeuvel.
The Eagles scored six runs on five hits and two Pioneers' errors in the top of the fifth. Vivian scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0 and Hamilton's two-run single scored Jack Olver and Seaman. Pye was hit-by-pitch to score VandenHeuvel for a 8-0 lead and Mac Born drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 9-0. Moran scored the final run on a UW-Platteville error.
UWL finished with nine hits in the opener with Pye and Hamilton each going 2-for-3. Pye had three RBI and Hamilton two while VandenHeuvel scored three times. Vivian scored twice.
Isaac Bixby (2-2) suffered the loss, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing four hits, five runs (two earned) and two walks while striking out two.
In the nightcap, UWL took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third. Moran walked with one out and stole second. After Pye was hit-by-pitch, Vivian hit a three-run home run to give the Eagles the early lead. In the fifth, Pye was hit-by-pitch and stole second. He advanced to third on a two-out groundout and scored on Hamilton's single to make it 4-0.
UW-Platteville got on the scoreboard for the time in the doubleheader in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 4-1. Slate Higa reached on a fielding error with one out and went to second on Spencer Robertson's single. Both runners moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. Justin Fago walked to load the bases and Higa came in on McLaughlin's fielder's choice after a UWL throwing error.
UWL extended its lead to 6-1 in the top of the seventh on Olver's single scoring pinch-runner Emiliano Ramos and Hamilton.
Owen Anderson (1-2) earned the win, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing two hits, one run (unearned) and two walks while striking out five. Caleb Matl pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. UWL totaled 10 hits with Hamilton going 3-for-4 with a run and RBI. Vivian finished 2-for-3 with a three-run home run while Olver went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Pye scored twice.
Brandon Molldrem (0-2) took the loss for UW-Platteville. He went 5.0 innings, allowing eight hits, four runs and one walk with one strikeout. Three different Pioneers recorded a hit.