WESTFIELD, Ind. – The UW-Stevens Point baseball team (0-2) came up short in a pair of games on Sunday to open the 2020 season.  The Pointers fell in the first game, 5-4, to Wabash (2-0) and in game two, 9-1, to Anderson (5-2).
 
All-conference selection Aaron Simmons (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) picked up where he left off in 2019 with hits in both games.  He tripled and scored in game one.  In game two, he drove in a run with two more hits.
 
Lucas Luedtke (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) made a thunderous return to the Pointers lineup in game one against Wabash.  He went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and drew a pair of walks.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 4, Wabash 5
The Pointers got on the board in the bottom of the first.  Payton Nelson (Wausau, Wis./West) reached on an error and walks by Simmons and Luedtke loaded the bases.  Nolan Matson (Neillsville, Wis./Neillsville) flew to left for a sac fly and the pointers had a 1-0 lead.
 
The Little Giants broke through in the third with four runs on four hits, all consecutively with one out.
 
UWSP started to claw back in the fourth.  Freshman Quin Henwood (Appleton, Wis./North) drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Then with two away, senior Tommy Duddleston (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) plated him with a single to right-center.
 
Wabash turned a pair of hits into a run in the seventh to go ahead, 5-2.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Bradley Comer (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) hit a two-out single.  Luedtke doubled to bring him home. A hit batter and a walk loaded the bases, but UWSP couldn't take advantage.
 
Simmons began the bottom of the ninth with a triple, the ninth of his career moving him into a tie for third in school history. Two batters later, Luedtke doubled to push him home.  After a flyout moved Luedtke to third, he was stranded there with the tying run as the game ended.
 
Zack Haupt (Carlsbad, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) started and went 4.0 innings with two strikeouts.  Nick Carpenter (Lake Mills, Wis./Lake Mills) pitched the final 5.0 in relief with six punchouts.
 
Game 2 – UWSP 1, Anderson 9
The Ravens opened the scoring in the second with three runs on two hits, two walks and a UWSP miscue.  Anderson added a single tally in the fourth on a pair of hits.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Duddleston reached on an error to lead off.  Two batters later, he scored on a double by Simmons.
 
Anderson added a run in the seventh, two in the eighth and two more in the ninth to complete the scoring.
 
Senior Matthew Morgan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) started and struck out four in 4.0 frames.  Stevens Point native JD Schultz (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) recorded three strikeouts in his Pointers debut with 4.0 innings in relief.
 
The Pointers conclude opening weekend on Monday (Mar. 2) against Benedictine.  First pitch in Indiana is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.