MARION, Iowa – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (5-1) picked up a pair of wins on Monday afternoon, beating Maranatha Baptist (0-5) in seven inning games by scores of 10-0 and 23-2 at Prospect Meadows in Marion, Iowa.
Game One
The Pioneers pushed five runs across in their half of the first inning, starting with an RBI single by sophomore
Anthony Massa. Two more runs crossed the plate via a pair of errors, and senior
Mason Molitor singled to left to drive in freshman
Kaleb Elwood. Molitor scored the final run of the frame on a passed ball.
The lead doubled with another five runs in the third inning, opened by an RBI single by Molitor. Junior
Caleb Parker doubled home sophomore
Trinity Beland and junior
Dylan Rippentrop, and Massa knocked in Parker with a double to deep right. Junior
Connor Gresens capped the scoring for UW-Platteville with an RBI single to make it 10-0.
On the mound, senior
Jordan Stanton earned his second win of the season by throwing four shutout innings. He struck out six and allowed just four baserunners. Senior
Pierce Nelson collected a three-inning save in relief, striking out seven of the 10 batters he faced.
UW-Platteville finished with 12 hits in the first game, with Beland, Massa, Gresens, and Molitor each tallying multi-hit efforts. The Pioneers had four doubles, and were active on the basepaths with four stolen bases.
Game Two
The Pioneers escaped a bases loaded jam in the top of the first and scored once in the bottom of the frame after Massa came in to score on an error. UW-Platteville added two more in the third as Rippentrop raced home on a wild pitch before Parker singled up the middle to score Beland and junior
Evan Bohr.
The Sabercats cut the lead in half with two runs in the third, but the Pioneers scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to increase the lead to 8-2. The first two runs came in after back-to-back bases loaded hit by pitches before Parker drove in two more with another single.
Five more runs scored in the fourth, highlighted by a three-run home run by Beland. Sophomore
Jacob Gervase knocked in a run in the fifth, and RBI doubles by junior
Spencer Robertson and Bohr added to the lead. Beland connected on his second home run of the game, this time a two-run shot, and freshman
Daniel Ureno and junior
Bradyn Delaney plated two more runs to cap an eight run inning.
The final two runs of the game scored in the sixth, as Robertson led off with a home run. Parker closed out the scoring with a sacrifice fly that brought home Rippentrop.
Sophomore
Logan Kottmeyer got the start for the Pioneers tossed a pair of scoreless innings. Freshman
Sam Callow picked up the win after throwing the next three innings, while junior
Aidan Kelsick threw the final 1.2 frames and struck out four.
UW-Platteville totaled 15 hits and 10 walks in game two and got big performances from Beland and Parker atop the lineup. Beland finished 2-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored, and six RBI, while Parker also had a pair of hits and drove in five runs. The Pioneers were once again aggressive on the basepaths with seven more stolen bases, including two from Robertson.
Up Next
The Pioneers begin a four-game road trip next Monday, March 16 in Waverly, Iowa with a single contest against Wartburg. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
*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.
