Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
WHITEWATER – The 21st-ranked UW-Stevens Point baseball team kept their chances alive for a conference regular season championship as it split with No. 10 UW-Whitewater today at Prucha Field.
UW-Whitewater scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take game one by a score of 12-10. In game two, Stevens Point had a five-run sixth on its way to a 14-6 win. The split gives the Pointers an overall record of 25-12 and a 16-6 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) record. The Warhawks are now 31-6 overall and 18-4 in the conference. With a sweep of Whitewater tomorrow, coupled with a pair of UW-Oshkosh losses, can give the Pointers their first regular season title since 2002.
After Whitewater jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game one, Justin Bushong (Rhinelander/Rhinelander) (Sr.-Rhinelander) hit a three-run home run against his former school to tie it up at 3-3 in the top of the third. After the Pointers stranded the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, the Warhawks hit a three-run home run in the bottom frame to take a 6-3 lead.
However, Stevens Point took its first lead in the top of the sixth when Doug Coe (Appleton/North) (Sr.-Appleton/North) hit a grand slam home run to make the score 7-6 Stevens Point. Whitewater led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run to tie it back up at 7-7. Brad Frank (Slinger/Slinger) (Sr.-Slinger) then homered in the top of the seventh to give the Pointers back the lead at 9-7. However, the Warhawks scored five in the bottom of the seventh to take a 12-9 lead. An Aaron Heiden (Appleton/Appleton East) (Fr.-Appleton/East) sacrifice fly in the eighth is all the Pointers would get as the Warhawks took game one 12-10.
Doug Coe (Appleton/North) was 3-for-5 with four RBIs to lead the Pointer offense. Brandon Scheidler (Chippewa Falls/McDonell) (Sr.-Chippewa Falls/McDonell) also added three hits.
Whitewater had an early 2-0 lead in game two until Steve Considine (Portage/Portage) (So.-Portage) hit a two-run double in the top of the second to tie it up at 2-2. Joel Hojnacki (Plover/SPASH) (Sr.-Plover/SPASH) then had a RBI single in the fourth to give Stevens Point a 3-2 lead.
After Whitewater tied it in the bottom of the fifth, the Pointers exploded for five runs in the sixth. Joel Hojnacki (Plover/SPASH) had a RBI double and Brad Frank (Slinger/Slinger) had a RBI single. Justin Bushong (Rhinelander/Rhinelander) hit his second home run of the day with a two-run blast as the Pointers led 8-3.
Kyle Cummings (Prentice/Prentice) (Jr.-Prentice) added a RBI single in the seventh to make it 9-3. After the Warhawks got two runs in the seventh, Joel Hojnacki (Plover/SPASH) hit a home run to leadoff the eighth for his first of the year. Justin Bushong (Rhinelander/Rhinelander) also had a RBI double in the inning as the Pointers led 11-3. Hojnacki then hit a three-run home run in the ninth for his first multi-home run game of his career. The Pointers took game two 14-6.
Mike Thrun (Franklin/Franklin) (Sr.-Franklin) got the win on the mound as he struck four in 6.2 innings to improve to 4-3. Joel Hojnacki (Plover/SPASH) was 4-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs to lead Stevens Point at the plate.
The Pointers and Warhawks will finish up their series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at noon.
