LA CROSSE, Wis. - In the first round of the WIAC Baseball Championship, the UW-Stevens Point baseball team fell in extra innings, 5-4 to No.15 UW-Whitewater. 

No. 15 UW-Whitewater 5,  UW-Stevens Point 4

In the Pointers (21-20) first at-bat of the game, Ray Greco (Downers Grove, IL/North) hit a leadoff home run, his fifth of the season, giving the Pointers an early 1-0 lead. 

UW-Whitewater (28-12) threatened in the first couple innings, with three free passes and a hit by pitch, from Pointers pitcher, Cole Erickson (Deerfield, WI/Deerfield), but UWSP worked out of the  third inning jam, with runners on first and third, on a foul out to Cody Hanke (Marathon, WI/Marathon).

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Warhawks' Dane Burman led off with a leadoff double, then advanced to third base after a sacrifice bunt. The Warhawks manufactured the tying run in the next at-bat after Daytona Bryden hit fly ball deep enough to centerfield to score Burman for the sacrifice fly. The Warhawks would just get the one run before Erickson closed out the inning with a fly ball to centerfield.

In response, the Pointers had back-to-back singles from Ryan Stanciek and Greco, and took back the lead after Cody Hanke (Marathon, WI/Marathon) hit Stanciek with a sacrifice fly to left field. 

After two scoreless innings, UWSP added to their 2-1 lead after a Stanciek leadoff single, two fielder choice ground balls, and a passed ball. 

Going into the eigth inning, Ericskson continued to keep the Warhawks quite until Black Fleischman cut the Pointers lead to just one run after a leadoff home run. Ericsson surrendered another hit and walk before the Pointers turned to Drew Spaeth (Stratford, WI/Stratford) for relief. Spaeth closed out the eight, but not before the Warhawks tied the game 3-3.

Still tied 3-3, the Warhawks threaten with runners on second and third, and two outs, but Spaeth and the Pointers defense shut down any chance of the game winning run scoring, getting ground out to end the inning. 

The tie was finally broken in the top of the 10th when the Pointers led off with a single earned by Ben Gerber (Stoughton, WI/Stoughton) who eventually advanced to third base from a pinch hit single from Kyle Mrozinski (Ashwaubenon, WI/Ashwaubenon). 

The game continued it's dramatics into the bottom of the 10th as the Warhawks threaten with the bases loaded and one out for the tie and game winner. Alex Thompson (Tomah, WI/Tomah) came in the for the Pointers, replacing Spaeth, but an error and single led to a Pointers 5-4 defeat. 

UW-Stevens Point will take on UW-Oskhosh at 1 p.m. in an elimination game.