WHITEWATER, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (16-11, 7-9 WIAC) dropped a pair of games to No. 7 UW-Whitewater (24-3, 16-0 WIAC) on Saturday afternoon from Prucha Field in Whitewater. The Pioneers fell 9-6 in game one before losing game two 12-1 in seven innings.
Game One
A six-run second inning put UW-Whitewater in control early in game one, forcing the Pioneers to try and rally from behind. Junior
Dylan Rippentrop got UW-Platteville on the board in the bottom of the inning with a two-out RBI double down the line to make 6-1.
In the sixth, the Warhawks added two more to the lead before sophomore
Anthony Massa hit a leadoff home run to right field in the bottom of the inning. The Pioneers rallied with four runs in the seventh thanks to a two-run single by Massa and a two-run double by Molitor, but UW-Whitewater scored the final run of the game to win 9-6.
Senior
Jordan Stanton fell to 4-3 on the season after allowing six runs across two innings. In relief, freshman
Cade Voelker threw four innings while allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out four.
Massa, Rippentrop, and freshman
Brayden Knoll paced the team with two hits apiece, as the Pioneers totaled nine overall. Massa drove in a team-high three runs while scoring twice.
Game Two
The Warhawks scored in each of the first five innings to lead 11-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth. UW-Platteville put its lone run of the board up in that frame on a solo home run by Knoll, his eighth of the season. UW-Whitewater scored one more in the top of the seventh to pick up a 12-1 win in the seven-inning game.
The Pioneers were unable to put together much offense in game two, finishing with just four hits and drawing a pair of walks. In addition to Knoll's home run, senior
Connor Gresens had a pair of singles while junior
Caleb Parker had one.
On the mound, senior
Pierce Nelson dropped to 2-2 on the year after getting hit for seven runs across 1.1 innings. Senior
Sawyer Molitor and freshman
Kentin Grantz combined to throw the final 5.2 innings while allowing five runs.
Up Next
The Pioneers will play two more against UW-Whitewater tomorrow, with games starting at noon and 3 p.m.