Box Score

WHITEWATER –There wasn't much left to the imagination when the UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater baseball teams met Friday morning.

The teams had met seven times previously. Four times in the regular season resulting in a 2-2 split. The two titans of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) baseball world then met three more times in the race for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Midwest Regional.

Those match-ups resulted in an opening win by the Pointers but the Warhawks rebounded with a pair of victories to win the automatic bid.

The eighth meeting went the way of the Pointers, although it didn't go that way early on.

Warhawk leadoff hitter Jordan Stine opened the home half of the first inning with a single to right center and came around to score when pitcher Jeff Donovan singled up the middle, putting the Warhawks in front 1-0.

The Warhawks tacked on another run in the bottom of the second, as Ryan Leavitt reached base after being plunked by Pointer starter Tyler Lorenz (Pembine) and came around to score on a Nick Rechlitz single to centerfield.

After Warhawk starter Jeff Donovan retired the first six batters he faced, Brad Archambeau (Watertown) put the Pointers right back into the game with one swing of the bat in the top of the third, singling up the middle, plating Josh Krueger (Portage) and Dan Douglas (East Troy). Eric Fritz (Custer) followed with a single down the right field line, advancing Archambeau to third. Justin Jirschele (Clintonville) came through with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, plating Archambeau and giving the Pointers a 3-2 lead.

The hit parade continued after Sam Spurney (Manitowoc) reached on a fielder's choice and Firtz was safe at second on a fielding error. Jeremy Richter (Rosholt) laced a Donovan pitch to right field, plating Fritz to tack on another run. Jordan Rennicke (Mequon/Homestead), not to be left out, took hold of a Donovan offering and found a spot in right field, plating Spurney and giving the Pointers a 5-2 lead.

Krueger, up for the second time in the third inning added another run with a single to right center, plating Richter for a six run inning, chasing Donovan from the game after the inning.

The Pointer bats stayed hot despite the overcast skies, as Travis Tuschen (Sun Prairie) scored the seventh Pointer run of the day after leading off the inning with a single, came around to score on a Jirschele single and Richter reached on an error and Archambeau came around to score his second run of the day. That put Stevens Point in front 6-2.

In the bottom of the fourth the Warhawks took two runs back. After hitting two batters and walking the bases loaded, Daniel Putnam laced a Lorenz offering just over the reach of Fritz to drive in Matt Beyer and Nick Rechlitz.

Archambeau did it again in the seventh, driving in Jordan Rennicke (Mequon) on a single to the right side. In the eighth, Spurney, who entered the day batting .520 against Whitewater pitching, belted a solo home run to give the Pointers another run, pushing the advantage to 10-4.

In the top of the ninth, the Pointers loaded the bags and Fritz made the Warhawks pay, sending an Aaron Leitner offering back up the middle, scoring Douglas and Adam Saeger (Watertown) to go in front 12-4.

The Pointers held on from there as Lorenz went 1-2-3 in the ninth to pitch his first complete game of his career in purple and gold. For the day, he allowed just eight hits, four runs, all earned and stuck out just one with two walks.

Donovan suffered the loss, his first of the season, going just three innings, allowing six runs, thre earned and did not record a strikeout. Aaron Leitner came on to pitch the final six innings also allowing six runs, three earned and recorded one strikeout.

The Pointers are now 3-0 at the Midwest Regional and are one win away from the programs fourth trip to the NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton. The opponent...none other than UW-Whitewater.  The Warhawks eliminated defending national champion St. Thomas 5-4 in Friday's final game to advance and face the Pointers. First pitch is scheduled for Noon at Prucha Field.