RANTOUL, Ill. – Strong pitching led the University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (3-1) to a pair of wins on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers beat Beloit (0-1) 11-1 in seven innings to begin the day before blanking Wisconsin Lutheran (0-2) 10-0 in seven frames to conclude the weekend.

Game One
A couple of Beloit errors helped UW-Platteville push across five runs in the top half of the first inning to gain an early advantage. Junior Caleb Parker drew a walk and advanced to third on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt before scoring on another Buccaneers error. The final four runs of the frame all came with two outs, including a two-run home run by junior Tarron Bockhop. Sophomore Xander Martinez and freshman Kaleb Elwood then singled and senior Mason Molitor doubled them both home to wrap up the inning.

The Pioneers added to the lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings. In the third, freshman Brayden Knoll drove in Bockhop with a sacrifice fly, while junior Connor Gresens brought home sophomore Anthony Massa with an RBI groundout in the fourth.

Beloit got on the board with a run in the sixth to make it 7-1, but UW-Platteville scored four times in the top of the seventh to go up by 10. Molitor singled in Martinez, and Beland scored Elwood with a one-out sacrifice fly. Massa then capped the scoring for the Pioneers with a two-run double.

Senior Wyatt Fischer held Beloit scoreless in the bottom half of the seventh as UW-Platteville won 11-1 by run rule. Fischer threw the final three innings of the game to earn a save, while allowing one run on one hit while striking out two. Senior Pierce Nelson collected the win after throwing four scoreless innings and striking out four.

The Pioneers reached double-digit hits for the third consecutive game and finished with 12 across the seven innings. Parker, Massa, Bockhop, Martinez, Elwood, and Molitor all had multi-hit games, with Molitor driving in a team-high three runs. Both of Massa's hits went for extra bases.
 
Game Two
After a scoreless first inning, junior Dylan Rippentrop put UW-Platteville on the board in the second with an RBI single. Knoll brought home Molitor for the second run of the inning on a groundout, and Beland made it 3-0 in favor of the Pioneers with a two-out single that scored Rippentrop.

Molitor added to the lead in the next inning thanks to an RBI single up the middle by Molitor.

UW-Platteville put the game away in the bottom of the seventh, scoring six times with two outs to win by run rule. The first run scored after Molitor was hit by pitch with the bases loaded, and Rippentrop drew a walk to score another run. Knoll knocked in two more with a single, and Beland ended the game with a two-run double down the left field line.

On the mound, freshman Sam Callow fired six shutout innings to earn the win while allowing just seven baserunners and striking out seven. Junior Aidan Kelsick replaced him in relief and threw a scoreless seventh inning.

Beland recorded three hits (two doubles) and three RBI to lead the Pioneers, who finished with 10 hits as a team. Molitor and Knoll each added a pair of hits, while Rippentrop reached base twice and drove in two runs.
 
Up Next
The Pioneers return to action on Monday, March 9 with a pair of seven inning contests against Maranatha Baptist. The games will take place at Prospect Meadows in Marion, Iowa, with game one slated for 2 p.m.