WHITEWATER- Needing one victory to capture their sixth consecutive WIAC Tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Pointers bats faltered as they dropped two games to UW-Whitewater Saturday afternoon at Prucha Field. UW-Whitewater took game one 5-3 to force a game two where they upended the Pointers 6-2.

UW-Whitewater 5 - UW-Stevens Point 3
UW-Whitewater 6 - UW-Stevens Point 2

After the Pointers put down UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater during the first day of the WIAC Tournament, they had the luxury to sit back and prepare for their competition in Saturday's championship game. The third game of the tournament featured Platteville and Whitewater with the Warhawks putting together a dominating 14-0 performance, guided by a two-hit shutout by Aaron Leitner, advancing to the championship game to take on the Pointers.

UW-Stevens Point belted out 37 hits in the first two games of the tournament along with scoring 32 runs and continued that early on Saturday afternoon. Brad Archambeau (Watertown) kept the hot-hitting for Point going as he led off the bottom of the first inning with his fifth home run of the season. They were able to load the bases up later in the inning with one out, but were unable to push any more runs across taking a 1-0 after one.

The Pointers added another run in the second as Archambeau was in on the scoring once again. The senior centerfielder was able to draw a walk off Warhawks starter Jason Hooper and one batter later, Eric Fritz (Custer) doubled to right-center field, scoring him from first base to put Point up 2-0.

The Warhawks were able to get on the board in the top of the fifth inning when they used aggressive play to cut the deficit to 2-1. Matt Beyer was able to draw a walk and advanced to third on a single up the middle by Nick Rechlitz. Jordan Stine then plated Beyer when he laid a sacrifice bunt down on batter later.

Both pitchers then went into shutdown mode as Hopper was able to hold the Pointers scoreless from the second to the eighth inning and Tyler Lorenz (Pembine) allowed just one run through seven innings.

The pitchers dual however came to an end when UW-Whitewater stepped up to the plate in the eighth when they were able to touch up Lorenz for four runs. Rechlitz singled to lead off the inning and Stine later reached on an error, putting runners at second and third. Daniel Putnam put the Warhawks in front as he singled home two unearned runs and Ben Kuhlmann added to the one run lead as he connected on his seventh home run of the season to put Whitewater in front 5-2.

Point was able to battle back in their half of the eighth when Jeremy Richter (Rosholt) singled with one out to put a runner on. Jordan Rennicke (Mequon) drew a walk and both runs moved up on a wild pitch to bring Sam Spurney (Manitowoc) to the dish. Spurney was held hitless on the day against Hooper until he singled off the righty, platting Richter, chasing him from the game. Josh Krueger (Portage) coaxed a walk off new Warhawks arm Ben Versnick to load the bases once again, but Kevin Thomas (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) grounded into a double play, ending the Pointers rally.

Versnick continued to work in the ninth and he was able to sit the Pointers down in order for his seventh save of the season to force a winner-take-all final match-up for the tournament title.

Lorenz (5-5) suffered the loss after going eight innings, allowing five runs, four earned, while striking out five. Hooper (6-2) picked up the victory for UW-Whitewater, allowing three runs, all earned, in 7.1 innings of work.

Archambeau, Fritz and Spurney led the Pointers with an RBI each.

The Warhawks were led by Rechlitz with three hits and Putnam added two hits along with two RBIs.

In the second game, it was the Warhawks who jumped on the board first as they plated one in the bottom of the first. The inning started as Jordan Stine reached on an error by Pointers third baseman Justin Jirschele (Clintonville) and Putnam stepped up next, driving Stine in to give the Warhawks the early advantage.

The Warhawks were able to add to their lead in the third as they put two more runs on the board thanks to a mistake by the Pointers defensively. With runners on first and third, Scott Williams (Baraboo) was called for a balk for Whitewater's second run of the game. Putnam then drove Stine once again on another RBI single, increasing their lead to 3-0.

Jeff Donovan continued to be silence the Pointers bats who allowed just two hits in the first four innings. Krueger and Steve Considine (Portage) were able to both reach in the fifth and Travis Tuschen (Sun Prairie) advanced them to second and third on a sacrifice bunt setting up a rally to get back in the game. Point put their first run on the board as Donovan was also called for a balk. Archambeau put their second run on the board when he grounded out to first base, but the Pointers could not push any more runs across the plate.

Whitewater waited until the seventh to answer back as they were able to tag Williams for three more runs. Rechlitz led off the inning with a bunt single and Stine continued his big day with a double to left-center field to score the runner from first. Donovan then drove him in two batters later on a run-scoring single for the second run. The Pointers had an opportunity to get out of the inning when Mike Kenseth seemingly grounded into a double play; however, Tuschen could not get a throw off as Whitewater scored another run to go up 6-2.

Point had an opportunity in the eighth to set up another rally with runners on second and third with no outs, but failed to take advantage, taking a four run deficit into the ninth inning.

Down four runs, the Pointers once again set up for yet another rally in the ninth as they put two runners on with just one out. Jirschele grounded a ball up the middle which was snared by Kuhlmann to force an out at second, leaving Point down to their last out with runners on the corners. Riley Tincher was able to force Richter to ground out to second to give Whitewater the victory 6-2.

Williams (8-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs, five earned in seven innings of work. Donovan improved to 4-0 on the season, tossing 8.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits in his eighth start of the season.

Fritz and Spurney each tallied two hits in the loss for the Pointers. Putnam led the charge for the Warhawks with three hits and two RBIs while Stine chipped in with two hits and three runs scored.

After belting out 37 hits and 32 runs in the first two games of the tournament against UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater, the Pointers bats were silenced in the final two games against the Warhawks where they managed only five runs on 14 hits.

UW-Stevens Point (29-15) failed to win the conference tournament for the first time in six years and also missed the opportunity to capture a 30-win season which would have been the fifth time in six years. The Pointers will now wait on the NCAA Division III Tournament selection committee later in the week to see if they will receive an at-large bid in this season's tournament.