LA CROSSE, Wis - The University of Wisconsin - Platteville baseball team handed the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse its first loss of the young season, a 2-1 decision in the first game of a doubleheader in La Crosse on Sunday.  The win for the Pioneers also snapped the program's 4-game losing slide against the Eagles.  A late rally by the Eagles led to a 10-9 win in game two and earned La Crosse a split of the twinbill.  With Sunday's results, Platteville moves to 4-2 on the season while La Crosse now sits at 5-1.  The doubleheaders was originally scheduled for Saturday but moved to Sunday due to inclement weather.  Platteville returns to action with a pair of late week doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday vs. Finlandia University.  Those games will mark not only the first home tilts of the season for the Pioneers but also will open the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference part of their schedule.

Final / Game 1

2B Grant Mullins (Fr./Greenville, Wis.) hit a 2-run home run in the 5th inning and Pioneer pitching made it stand as Platteville defeated the Eagles for just the second time in their last 12 match-ups.  For the second game in a week, a Pioneer starting pitcher began a game by tossing five no-hit innings.  Sam Hernandez (Fr.Malone, Wis.) kept the Eagle bats quiet for seven innings in total, surrendering just one hit and no runs to earn his first win of the season.  Nate Jennings (Jr./Arena, Wis.) worked into, and out of, a one-out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save.

Hernandez and Eagles' starter Sawyer Philips matched zeros through the first four innings.  With one out in the top of the fifth, Pioneer catcher Logan Kozak (Sr./Waukesha, Wis.) laced a double to left center.  A few pitches later Mullins, who had tripled in his first at bat, took Philips deep to the same part of the field for the first home run of his collegiate career.  After notching a strikeout, Philips began struggling with his control, loading the bases by hitting the next three batters.  Philips was lifted in favor of reliever of Alex Machs who coaxed a groundout to short to end the inning and avoid any further damage.

The Eagles did not create any damage to Hernandez.  The right-hander struck out five and scattered four walks with no more than one runner on base in any frame.  Even the hit he gave up to Zach Carney to lead off the sixth was quickly erased a batter later when Kozak cut him down attempting to steal second.

"In the pregame bullpen I felt confident in all my pitches," said Hernandez, "my slider was working well and being able to hit my spots with my fastball helped make it much more effective.  60% of their outs were ground balls so having my defense behind me playing clean was very beneficial.  Everyone was locked in."

Things got dicey late for Jennings, who has now closed out three of the Pioneers' four wins earning two wins and a save in the process.  After allowing a run in the 8th to cut the lead to 2-1, Jennings began the 9th strong with a strikeout of clean-up hitter Shane Coker.  But after a walk and a double by pinch hitter Spencer Hans, Pioneer head coach Chad Harris chose to intentionally walk the bases loaded with one out, creating a force play at every base.  The move paid off as Jennings induced Eagle catcher Ethan Gerstner into a 6-4-3 doubleplay to end the game and preserve the win for Platteville.

After the game, Harris praised his starter's solid performance.

"Sam was in control today and what he showed is the type of pitcher we know he can be.  He kept hitters off balance and allowed his defense to work behind him.  He's still young and we are excited to watch him develop over the next few years."

Final / Game 2

While game one showcased some great pitching, the bats came alive for both sides in game two.  In a see-saw battle that saw two ties and 4 lead changes. the host Eagles proved to have just a little more left in the tank, scoring runs in their final four innings.  The 1-3 hitters in the La Crosse lineup combined to bat 5-10 with 6 RBI.

Things were looking good for a Pioneer sweep in the sixth inning.  Already up 5-4, Platteville scored three times with the benefit of just one hit.  Austin Pullara (Fr./Morris, Ill.) walked and Mullins was hit by a pitch to start the rally.  After a Jordan Collins (Fr./Bondurant, IA) sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position, things got wild.  As Eagle pitcher Jack Perinovic came to the plate, Pullara broke for home while batter Hunter Hopkins (Fr./Winnebago, Ill.) squared around to bunt for the suicide squeeze.  Hopkins bunted through the pitch however, seemingly leaving Pullara hung out to be tagged by the waiting catcher, Ty Hamilton.  But in a move that would make Houdini proud, Pullara managed to avoid Hamilton's tag and scored the Pioneers' sixth run.  A few pitches later Mullins would score on a wild pitch expanding the Pioneer lead to 7-4 despite not registering a hit to that point in the inning.  The Pioneers would eventually record a hit in the frame when Jonathan Kelso (Jr./Villa Park, Ill.) laced an RBI-double down the left field line, scoring Hopkins.

The four run advantage was short-lived as La Crosse was able to respond with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the 6th.  After Platteville added a run in the 7th to push their advantage to 9-7, the Eagles again responded with two runs to tie the game at nine apiece.  In the 8th, the Pioneers bats were held scoreless for the first time since the second inning.  A clutch two-out RBI double by Eagle 3B Mac Born in the bottom of the eighth scored Jordan Williams and gave La Crosse it's first lead since the third inning.  Caleb Matl pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the 10-9 win of game two and a split of the doubleheader.

Headline photo credit:  James Lund