EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team (18-15, 9-13 WIAC) picked up a sweep of UW-Eau Claire (17-16, 10-11 WIAC) on Saturday afternoon, taking game 3-2 before erupting for a 16-2 win in game two from Carson Park.

Game One
Freshman Brayden Knoll reached in the second on a Blugolds error, stole second and later came in to score the first run of the game on an RBI groundout by senior Mason Molitor. The one-run lead didn't last long however, as UW-Eau Claire answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning to even the score.

The Blugolds took the lead in the fifth on a two-out RBI double, but the Pioneers were able to tie it up again in the seventh after a throwing error allowed Molitor to score with two outs.

In the ninth, freshman Kaleb Elwood led off with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Molitor. With two outs, senior Connor Gresens drove Elwood in with a single to give the Pioneers the lead. Freshman Carver Kamentz worked around a leadoff baserunner in the bottom of the ninth to secure the 3-2 Pioneers win.

Freshman Sam Callow earned the victory to improve to 5-1 on the season after allowing two runs on four hits and striking out nine across his 8.0 innings. Kamentz tossed the final frame to record his second save and struck out two.

Both teams finished with four hits in the game, with junior Caleb Parker leading the Pioneers with two. Sophomore Anthony Massa and Gresens had the other two hits.
 
Game Two
UW-Platteville opened with two runs in the first inning of game two, one coming on an RBI single by Massa and another on a sacrifice fly by Knoll. The Blugolds responded with one in the bottom of the first before the Pioneers began to pull away.

Knoll and Elwood each had RBI singles in the third inning, and Elwood drove in another run in the fifth to increase the lead to 5-1. In the eighth, the Pioneers pushed across four more runs to make it an eight-run advantage. The first run scored on a Blugolds error, before Parker knocked in another with a single. Massa drove in the third run with a single and Knoll capped the inning with his second sacrifice fly of the contest.

UW-Eau Claire scored one more run in the bottom of the eighth before the Pioneers tacked one seven in the ninth. Gresens started the scoring with an RBI double and Parker knocked in the second run on an infield single. Massa drove in two more with a single before later scoring on a double by Knoll, and Elwood wrapped up the game with a two-run home run to make it 16-2.

After being held to four hits in game one, the Pioneers broke out for 16 hits in game two, with Parker, Massa, and Elwood each recording three-hit games. Knoll and senior Spencer Robertson each added two hits. Massa drove in a team-high four runs, followed by three each for Knoll and Elwood.

On the mound, Kamentz got the start and tossed six innings of one run ball. He scattered five hits and struck out six. Senior Jordan Stanton entered in relief and threw the final three innings to record the save while allowing just one run on three hits.
 
Up Next
The Pioneers will play the final two games of the weekend series with UW-Eau Claire tomorrow. Game times are scheduled for noon and 3 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.