AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The UW-Stevens Point baseball team (0-1) took a two-run lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Amherst College (4-1) scored three times in the ninth for a 6-5 walk-off win over the Pointers in UWSP's season opener on Thursday.
Sophomore
Aaron Simmons (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and he drove in a run. Senior
Will Iloncaie (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) also had an RBI.
Freshman third baseman
Bradley Comer (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) collected two hits in his collegiate debut. Junior
Tommy Duddleston (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) also had a pair of hits in the game.
Sophomore
Payton Nelson (Wausau, Wis./West) had a hit and drew a walk. He scored twice in the game.
The Pointers got on the board first in the third inning. Simmons led off the frame with a single. Nelson drew a walk and both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Then with two outs, the Mammoths committed an error allowing both UWSP runners to score.
In the fourth inning,
Nolan Matson (Neillsville, Wis./Neillsville) drew a leadoff walk. Duddleston followed with a single and
Kyle Mrozinski (Ashwaubenon, Wis./Ashwaubenon) walked to load the bases. Simmons drove in a run with a sac fly, but UWSP was held to just one run in the inning.
Amherst turned a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth and converted it into a run. In the seventh, the Mammoths recorded four hits and plated two runs to tie the game at 3-3.
Nelson singled with one down in the top of the ninth.
Ryan Stanicek (Loves Park, Ill./Boylan Catholic) followed with a single and both runners stole bases and an Amherst error allowed the go-ahead run to score. Iloncaie picked up an RBI with a sac fly and UWSP took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Amherst used a leadoff single and a home run to tie the game at 5-5. A walk followed and the runner moved to third on a stolen base and a wild pitch. With two away, a single plated the winning tun for the Mammoths.
The Pointers return to action on Friday (March 15) with a doubleheader against Washington and Jefferson. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. CT.
