PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (10-3, 1-1 WIAC) opened the conference slate with a split with UW-Stout (6-5, 1-1 WIAC) on Saturday afternoon from Kendall Murray Field. After falling 9-0 in game one, the Pioneers bounced back and won 16-14 in a back-and-forth game two.
Game One
It was all Blue Devils in game one, as the visitors scored nine runs and shutout the Pioneers to earn the conference win. UW-Stout scored twice in the second on a pair of sacrifice flies before getting another in the third on a double to centerfield.
Two more runs scored in the fifth on a home run to right field, and the Blue Devils made it an eight-run lead with another three in the sixth. UW-Stout manufactured one more run in the top half of the ninth to cap the scoring.
UW-Platteville totaled four hits in the first game, two of which came from sophomore
Anthony Massa. Junior
Connor Gresens had the lone extra-base hit, a double his first time up.
On the mound, senior
Pierce Nelson was dealt the loss after allowing five runs on six hits across five innings while striking out four. Junior Aiden Kelsick tossed the final four innings in relief while giving up four runs.
Game Two
UW-Stout opened the second game with five runs in the top of the first, but the Pioneers answered with six in the bottom of the inning to take a one-run lead. Massa drove in the first UW-Platteville run with a single, and freshman
Brayden Knoll brought in freshman
Kaleb Elwood with a single up the middle. Gresens plated two more with another base knock, and junior
Spencer Robertson scored Knoll with a double. Junior
Evan Bohr gave UW-Platteville the lead with an RBI groundout that brought in Gresens.
The Pioneers' offense added two more in the second inning thanks to a two-run home run to right field by Massa. The Blue Devils got one back in the top of the third, before adding three more on a home run in the top of the fifth to take a 9-8 lead.
UW-Platteville battled back again and scored four runs in the sixth inning to go ahead 12-9. After a leadoff walk by Bohr, sophomore
Trinity Beland drove him in with a double. Then with two runners on, senior
Mason Molitor connected on a three-run home run to flip the score in favor of the Pioneers.
The Blue Devils answered immediately with a four-run seventh to take a one-run lead at 13-12. That lead didn't last long, as the Pioneers scored three in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead. Elwood drove in the first run with a single, and Beland scored on a throwing error by UW-Stout's pitcher. Molitor capped the inning with a run scoring double to right center.
UW-Stout scored one in the top of the eighth, but the Pioneers got it back in the bottom half after Beland was hit by pitch with the bases loaded. Freshman
Carver Kamentz secured the final three outs in the ninth to hand the Pioneers the two-run win.
The Pioneers finished with 13 hits and drew 11 walks in the win, with four different players recording multiple knocks. Elwood finished with a team-high three hits, while Massa, Molitor, and Knoll each had two. Molitor drove in four runs, with Massa plating another three. Elwood and Beland combined to score seven of UW-Platteville's 16 runs.
Kamentz improved to 1-1 after earning the win by throwing the final 2.2 innings and allowing one run.
Up Next
The Pioneers travel to UW-River Falls to continue conference play with a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. Friday's games begin at 1 p.m. with Saturday set to start at noon.
*As with every UW-Platteville win this year, the Platteville A&W will be offering a free ice cream cone (with purchase) the day after the win and the Platteville Taco John's will be offering a free churro (with purchase) the day after each Pioneer win.
