WHITEWATER, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (16-9, 7-7 WIAC) concluded three games against UW-Oshkosh (10-15, 6-8 WIAC) on Monday afternoon from Pruch Field in Whitewater. The Titans held on for a 10-9 win in the resumed contest to begin the day, and the Pioneers bounced back with a 12-1 win in game two. The final game went to UW-Oshkosh 12-6.
Game One
The opening game resumed in the third inning following yesterday's weather stoppage, with UW-Oshkosh leading 5-1. The Titans added to the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth and another in the fifth before the Pioneers began to chip away.
Freshman
Kaleb Elwood singled in a pair of runs to open a six-run fifth inning for the Pioneers, while a third run scored on the play via an error. Senior
Mason Molitor then ripped a three-run opposite field blast to get UW-Platteville within one.
In the seventh, freshman
Brayden Knoll drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at eight, and the Pioneers took the lead one batter later after junior
Connor Gresens was hit by pitch and drove in sophomore
Anthony Massa.
The score remained in favor of the Pioneers until the ninth, when UW-Oshkosh pushed across a pair of runs with two outs to take a 10-9 lead. UW-Platteville was unable to answer in the bottom of the inning as the Titans hung on for a win.
Junior
Aidan Kelsick was dealt the loss after allowing two unearned runs across 2.2 innings.
The Pioneers totaled 12 hits in the contest, led by three from junior
Caleb Parker. Massa and Molitor each reached base four times (two hits and two walks), with Molitor driving in a team-high three.
Game Two
UW-Platteville jumped out to a 10-0 lead after the first two innings, which started with a two-run home run by Massa in the bottom of the opening inning. That homer was Massa's 12th of the season, which sets a new Pioneers program record.
Parker drove in the first two runs on an eight-run second inning with a double to deep centerfield. A fielding error allowed the third run to score before Massa ripped a two-run double to right center. Knoll plated another on a groundout, and Gresens capped the frame with a two-run blast to left field.
UW-Oshkosh scored its lone run of the game in the fifth, and the Pioneers responded with one in the each of the next two innings. Junior
Evan Bohr drove in one on a groundout, and Molitor doubled home a run in the sixth inning as UW-Platteville won 12-1 in seven frames.
The Pioneers totaled 14 hits, led by three each from Massa, Gresens, and junior
Dylan Rippentrop. Massa drove in four runs with a pair of extra-base hits, while Gresens scored three times and recorded two doubles along with home run.
Freshman
Sam Callow fired a gem to earn his fourth win of the season. He allowed just one run across six innings of work, scattering five hits and striking out five.
Game Three
An RBI double by Elwood and a run scoring single by Knoll put the Pioneers ahead 2-0 after one inning, but UW-Oshkosh responded with four runs in the second to move ahead 4-2. The Titans added five more in the top of the fourth behind a pair of home runs to jump out to a 9-2 advantage.
The Pioneers rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to three. Sophomore
Jacob Gervase drove in one run with a single before junior
Spencer Robertson hit a three-run homer to left field. UW-Oshkosh got two of those runs back in the fifth to maintain a five-run edge.
The Titans tacked on one more run in the top of the seventh to lead 12-6 and the score remained that way for the rest of the contest.
UW-Platteville was limited to eight hits in the game, with Knoll going 2-for-4 with a triple. Elwood, Rippentrop, and Bohr all doubled, while Robertson drove in a team-high three runs.
On the mound, freshman
Aiden Schaapveld fell to 0-1 on the season after allowing four runs across 1.2 innings. Freshman
Cade Voelker threw the final two innings of the game, holding UW-Oshkosh without a baserunner across his 12 pitches.
Up Next
The Pioneers will travel to Edgewood on Thursday afternoon for a single contest starting at 5 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.
