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Pointers Sweep
One-Run Games From Eagles
Close games have been customary for the UW-Stevens
Point baseball team this season and the Pointers converted a pair of tight
contests into victories on Saturday against UW-La Crosse at University
Field.
UW-Stevens Point rallied to win the opening game
4-3 in 10 innings and then won the second game 2-1 for its third straight
one-run win over the Eagles. The Pointers, who are now 9-5 in one-run
contests, finished the regular season with the same record as the 2006
campaign at 25-14 overall. UW-Stevens Point closed the conference season at
17-6 and will be the second seed for next week�s conference tournament.
UW-La Crosse ended the year at 17-21 overall and 9-15 in the league.
Both teams had solid pitching performances in each
game, but also struggled offensively due to strong winds blowing straight in
from left field.
UW-La Crosse�s Storm Gram was three-for-four in
the opening game and homered in the fifth inning to put his team ahead 3-2.
The lead stood until the eighth when the Pointers tied the game on a
run-scoring single by Stewart Larsen.
The Eagles had a great chance to take the lead in
the top of ninth when a throwing error put runners at first and third with
none out. However, Pointers pitcher Travis Kempf struck out Eagles� pinch
hitter Travis Kerr after a five-minute at-bat and then a botched squeeze
bunt resulted in the second out. Following a walk to Gram, Andy Podmolik
grounded out to end the inning.
UW-Stevens Point won the game in the 10th as
Brandon Scheidler reached on a one-out error and scored from first base when
Tim Schlosser ripped a double down the left field line. Schlosser finished
two-for-three and also hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Scheidler
was two-for-four with three runs scored.
Kempf allowed just one hit over three and
two-thirds innings to earn the win in relief of Brandon Hemstead.
In the second game, sophomore Kyle Cummings laid
down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to score Larsen in the seventh inning
with the winning run. It was Cummings� first career RBI in his first career
start.
UW-Stevens Point scored the game�s first run in
the second inning on a strange play with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Larsen hit a line drive that was dropped by the second baseman, who threw to
second for one out. Both the baserunners and fielders scrambled in confusion
over the situation, but Adam Evanoff strolled home from third to score.
UW-La Crosse�s Dusty Otto added a run-scoring
single in the top of third to tie the game on one of only four hits allowed
by Pointers� starter Garrett Nix. The Eagles had runners on second and third
with two outs in the eighth, but Nix recorded his fifth strikeout of the
game to end the threat.
Evanoff finished three-for-four as Jake Beitlich
scattered seven hits in a complete game for the Eagles. UW-Stevens Point
left seven runners on base, including six in scoring position. |
