DAVENPORT, Fla. – It took just two pitches for the first home run of the season to come off the bat of a UW-Stevens Point baseball player's bat and the No. 3 Pointers (5-2) went on to win both games on Saturday. UWSP defeated Roger Williams (1-9) by a 9-6 final before dispatching of Southern Maine (1-8) in seven innings, 17-2.
The Pointers blasted five home runs on the day, two off the bat of
Bradley Comer (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander).
Trent Van Ess (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers),
Brenden Canterbury (Waupaca, Wis./Waupaca) and
Logan Homolka (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) also hit long balls on the day.
Comer totaled five hits on the day, three for extra bases, and he drove in eight. Canterbury added four hits, two in each game, with three runs and three RBI on the day.
Payton Nelson (Wausau, Wis./West) also had four hits, hitting a double in each game, with five runs scored and an RBI in each game.
Van Ess,
Anthony Tomczak (Muskego, Wis./Muskego), Homolka,
Jakob Boos (Littleton, Colo./Heritage),
Kyle Finger (Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville) and
Logan Matson (Neillsville, Wis./Neillsville) all had multi-hit days.
Game 1 – UWSP 9, RWU 6
Van Ess belted the second pitch of the game into the parking lot in left field for an early 1-0 UWSP lead.
The Hawks scored twice in the third on a pair of hits. RWU added two more runs in the fourth on a hit and a UWSP error to put UWSP behind 4-1.
Tyler Soule (Oregon, Wis./Oregon) led off the fifth with a double into the left field corner. Nelson drew a walk to put two aboard. With two outs, Comer hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to left-center to tie the game at 4-4.
Finger singled to start the sixth. Canterbury followed with a two-run opposite field home run to put the Pointers ahead, 6-4. Two batters later, Soule drew a walk. Van Ess replaced him at first on a fielder's choice. Nelson then ripped a double down the left field line and Van Ess scored from first. After Tomczak was hit by a pitch, Comer laced a triple to center pushing home two more runs for a 9-4 lead.
The Hawks scored two run in the eighth to get within 9-6. In the bottom of the ninth,
Sidney Ferry (Paw Paw, Mich./Homeschooled) retired the side in order with two strikeouts to record the save.
Nick Paulsen (Balsam Lake, Wis./Unity) struck out five in the start, lasting 3.2 innings.
Austin Syvertson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) picked up the win with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Nathan Krommenakker (Rudolph, Wis./Lincoln) struck out three in 2.1 innings of work.
Game 2 – UWSP 17, USM 2 (7 inn.)
The Pointers fell into an early hole as the Huskies scored twice in the top of the first on three hits.
Finger walked to start the second. Canterbury doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Homolka reached on an error by the leftfielder to give UWSP its first run. Boos ripped a single to right plating two for a 3-1 lead. Van Ess walked and Nelson singled to load the bases. Tomczak hit a single up the middle to drive in two. After Comer was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, Matson hit a sac fly to give the Pointers a 6-2 advantage.
Homolka and Boos hit back-to-back singles to lead off the third. A wild pitch allowed a run to score and Nelson plated another with a double to left. Tomczak followed with an RBI single. Comer then drilled a two-run home run to left for an 11-2 lead.
In the fifth, Van Ess hit a leadoff single. Nelson drew a walk and both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Tomczak plated one with a sac fly and Comer drove in another with a single. Later in the inning, Canterbury hit an RBI single. Then Homolka launched a no-doubter to right, a three-run home run to complete the scoring.
Casey Pickering (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) settled in after the rough first inning to go 6.0 frames. He struck out seven.
Mitchell Crawley (Wind Lake, WIs./Muskego) tossed a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts.
The Pointers will have an off day on Sunday before playing Colby to begin the week on Monday (March 20). First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. ET.
