WHITEWATER, Wis. – Cooper Brown (Appleton, Wis./West) and Tino Ramirez (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) hits grand slams, but the UW-Stevens Point baseball team (6-6, 0-2) came up short in both games of a doubleheader at No. 12 UW-Whitewater (10-3, 2-0) as the team opened conference play on Saturday. The Pointers dropped game one in 10 innings, 8-7, before falling game two, 10-8.
 
Brown and Ramirez had a five-RBI game each. Brown in game one and Ramirez in game two. Kamden Oliver (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua), Connor Olson (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) and Drew Mistele (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) had three hits apiece on the day and all three hit safely in both games.
 
Game 1 – UWSP 7, UWW 8 (10 inn.)
Oliver started the game with a single. Tyler Soule (Oregon, Wis./Oregon) drew a walk and Olson singled to load the bases. Brown blasted a grand slam as UWSP took a 4-0 lead.
 
UWW got on the board in the second with a walk, a wild pitch and two hits to get within 4-2. The Warhawks hit a solo home run in the third and took the lead with a three-run shot in the sixth.
 
Mistele singled with one out in the seventh. Easton Snow (DeForest, Wis./DeForest Area) hit a double to put two in scoring position. Tommy Drohner (Plover, Wis./SPASH) hit a double to plate one run. Oliver grounded out to tie the game at 6-6.
 
After UWW regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh, Olson started the eighth with a single. He stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Brown grounded out to push home Olson for a 7-7 tie.
 
Neither team scored in the ninth. The Warhawks used two hit batters and two walks to earn the walk-off win in the 10th.
 
Kenny Schultz (Plover, Wis./SPASH) struck out three in the start and went 3.0 innings. Kaeden Wagenaar (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs) recorded two strikeouts in 2.2 IP. Joe Schneider (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) also had two strikeout and worked 3.2 frames.
 
Game 2 – UWSP 8, UWW 10
Olson drew a one-out walk in the first inning. Brown singled and Ramirez drew a walk to load the bases. With two down, Mistele singled to push in two runs.
 
The Warhawks got single tallies in the first and the second to tie the game at 2-2.
 
With two away in the third inning, Ramirez belted a solo home run for a 3-2 UWSP advantage.
 
UWW hit four home runs in the third inning to put the Pointers in a 9-3 hole.
 
Drohner and Oliver were each hit by a pitch with one out in the fourth. Olson 2followed with a single to plate one run. Brown drew a walk to load the bases. Ramirez stepped in and drilled a grand slam to get UWSP within 9-8.
 
UWW finished the scoring with a leadoff home run in the fourth.
 
UWSP had a runner aboard in every inning from the fifth through the ninth, but were unable to put together a rally.
 
Josh Steger (Lomira, Wis./Lomira), JT Hockers (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) and Keltin Opper (Stevens Point, Wis./Pacelli) each had one strikeout on the mound for UWSP.
 
The Pointers and Warhawks wrap up the weekend series with a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday (Mar. 29).