Game One Box
Game Two Box

STEVENS POINT – The UW-Stevens Point baseball team swept their way into first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) with a two-game sweep against the UW-Oshkosh Titans on Wednesday afternoon, winning game one 11-0 in eight innings and taking the nightcap 2-0.

The Pointers sit in the driver's seat in the race for the 2009 regular-season championship and the right to host the 2009 WIAC Baseball tournament on May 8-9.

In game one, Pointer starter Scott Williams (Baraboo) squared off against reigning WIAC Pitcher of the Week Kyle Kannenberg and pitched a gem. Williams allowed just three hits over eight innings, striking out three batters and did not surrender a walk, pitching just the second shutout of the season for the Pointers.

At the plate, the Pointers offense matched Williams performance with the bats, going ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the third as Eric Fritz (Custer) scored on a Jeremy Richter (Rosholt) sacrifice fly, giving the Pointers the early edge. Richter was earlier this week named the WIAC Position Player of the Week.

The Pointers tacked on two more runs in the fifth, as Richter again singled in Kyle Cummings (Prentice) and later Brad Archambeau (Watertown) scored on a Cody Koback (Plover) groundout.

In the sixth, the Pointers hung another four runs on the scoreboard, as a Kevin Thomas (Oshkosh) scored on a Archambeau single, Cummings scored on a Richter double and two runs scored after Koback reached on a throwing error by the third baseman.

In the bottom of the eighth, an Archambeau solo homer and a three-run blast by Jared Surman (Kimberly) gave the Pointers the 11-0 victory.

A low scoring affair in game two, the Pointers scored their only runs in the sixth, a two-run blast by Richter, breaking the scoreless tie.

Another pitching gem by the Pointers, this time from Kyle Barry (Twin Lakes), as he went 6.2 innings, allowing just four hits. Barry struck out six, hit two batters and did not allow a walk. Jeff Zielke (Watertown) came on in relief, picking up his sixth save of the season, striking out two while allowing just one hit in 2.1 innings.

On the day, the Pointers belted three home runs, as Archambeau, Richter and Surman all went deep. Richter finished the day with five RBIs while Cummings was 3-for-5 from the plate with two runs scored. Archambeau finished the day 4-for-7 with three runs scored.

The Pointers (25-11, 13-7 WIAC) now sits atop the WIAC standings with four games left this weekend against the Pioneers of UW-Platteville. The Pointers and Pioneers begin action on Saturday, May 2 in Platteville at Noon.

With three wins against the Pioneers, the Pointers will secure at least a share of their eighth conference title, their first since 2002.