UW-Stevens Point lost two tight games in completely different fashion on Thursday at the Port Charlotte baseball invitational in Port Charlotte, Fla.

The Pointers lost a 15-13 slugfest to Bowdoin (Maine) in the morning and then suffered a 3-1 setback to Messiah (Pa.) in the afternoon. UW-Stevens Point pounded out 31 hits despite its 0-2 record for the day. The Pointers have now lost three straight games and fell to 6-5 overall for the season. All five losses have been by three runs or less.

UW-Stevens Point nearly fell victim to the 10-run rule in the opening game as the Pointers fell behind Bowdoin 11-1 and trailed 15-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning. However, the Pointers scored two runs in the inning with Garret Bloom drawing a bases loaded walk to drive in the second run.

UW-Stevens Point then had a furious rally fall short in the bottom of the ninth as the Pointers scored seven runs. Brad Archambeau (Watertown/Watertown) hit a grand slam and Ryan Byrnes (Beaver Dam/Beaver Dam) followed with a solo homer to cut the lead to 15-13 with one out. Brandon Scheidler (Chippewa Falls/McDonell) hit a two-out triple, but the game ended with the tying run at the plate.

Bowdoin broke open a 5-1 game with six unearned runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh for its 15-4 lead. Scheidler, Byrnes and Justin Bushong (Rhinelander/Rhinelander) were all three-for-five and Joel Hojnacki (Plover/SPASH) was three-for-six as the Pointers totaled 20 hits, but left 11 runners on base. Jeff Zielke (Watertown/Watertown) took the loss for UW-Stevens Point.

In the second game, Jeremy Dunnihoo (Manawa/Manawa) pitched five scoreless innings in his first career start and the Pointers led 1-0 entering the bottom of the sixth inning after a run-scoring single by Archambeau in the fifth. However, Messiah scored two runs in the sixth and added an unearned run in the eighth.

The Pointers had 11 hits in the game and had baserunners every inning, leaving 12 on base for the game. Archambeau, Byrnes and Bushong each collected two hits.

UW-Stevens Point concludes its trip by facing Western New England (Mass.) on Friday morning.