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Pointers Face
Uphill Battle for Third Straight Week
For the third straight weekend,
UW-Stevens Point will have to fight off elimination as it lost to Marietta
2-1 on Friday at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute in the opening round of
the NCAA Division III World Series.
The Pointers (34-17) lost both
game one of the WIAC tournament and the NCAA Division III regional but won
four straight games to win the conference title and five straight to capture
the regional title.
"We are confident knowing we
have a club to come back tomorrow and play good baseball," Pointers head
coach Pat Bloom said, referring to his team being in an all too familiar
position. "We aren't doing this on purpose."
In a game that featured a pair
of work horses on the mound, both starters went deep into the game and each
had 11 strikeouts. Jordan Zimmermann threw his third consecutive complete
game for the Pointers, yet suffered his fifth loss of the season. In
Zimmermann's five losses this year, the Pointers have scored a total of
seven runs. UW-Stevens Point is now 2-10 in one-run games this year as all
three post-season losses have been by one run. Zimmermann allowed one earned
run on four hits while walking one and hitting a batter.
Marietta scored first in the
top of the fourth as Justin Steranka singled to right driving in Ryan
Belanger who doubled to right center to lead off the inning. Zimmermann
nearly picked off Belanger on a close play at second, but Belanger was ruled
safe. Steranka later stole second and advance to third on a throwing error
by the Pointers before scoring on a sacrifice fly to left by Joe Litke.
UW-Stevens Point responded
quickly as it scored in the bottom half of the fourth inning. Senior Nat
Richter executed a perfect drag bunt to the right side of the infield and
then advanced to second on a wild throw by the second baseman. Richter
scored on a single to left center by Adam Evanoff. Unfortunately for the
Pointers that would be all the scoring for the evening.
Mike Eisenberg pitched eight
strong innings to improve to 12-2 on the year. Eisenberg allowed one
unearned run on just four hits. Mike DeMark came on in the ninth, after
Eisenberg allowed Coe's leadoff hit, to notch his first save of the season.
Richter led off the bottom of
the sixth when he reached on a high fly ball to left field that was lost in
the lights by Josh Beebe. Ryan Byrnes followed with a walk to give the
Pointers a pair of base runners with no one out. Doug Coe showed bunt on the
first two pitches of his at bat before pulling back and slapping a 2-0 pitch
to the second baseman who turned the double play unassisted to end the
threat. Evanoff grounded out to end the inning.
Doug Coe singled to lead off
the ninth to put the tying run on base for the Pointers. With pinch runner
Joel Hojnacki running on a 1-1 pitch, Evanoff popped a bunt up to the third
baseman who quickly doubled up Hojnacki at first. Chuck Brehm singled to
left with two-outs and proceeded to steal second on a pitchout, but Tim
Schlosser struck out swinging to end the game.
The second largest single-game crowd was in attendance
as 2,467 fans, primarily in purple and gold, came out to the game.
"We were pleasantly surprised
with how many people made the trip," Coe said after the game. "We were
excited to play in front of them."
UW-Stevens Point will play Aurora, Ill. tomorrow at
1:15. Aurora lost to Montclair State 7-2 in its first round game.
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