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Five-Run Ninth
Keeps Pointers Alive at Regional
Tim Schlosser finished off a dramatic UW-Stevens
Point five-run rally with a two-out, two-run single on an 0-2 pitch in the
bottom of the ninth inning as the Pointers pulled out an 11-10 win over
Ripon in an NCAA Division III regional elimination game in Wisconsin Rapids,
Wis.
The Pointers, who pounded out 18 hits in the game,
opened the ninth inning with five straight hits to set up Schlosser�s
game-winning hit with the bases loaded. Schlosser also had two home runs and
finished the day three-for-five with five RBI�s. UW-Stevens Point is now
30-15 overall and faces St. Thomas on Friday night at 7 p.m. Ripon ended its
season 22-15 and lost to UW-Stevens Point in the regional for the second
straight year, having lost twice to the Pointers on the final day of the
2006 regional.
Ripon got off to a hot start with four runs in the
top of the first inning as the first three batters all singled and Bo
Johnson later hit a three-run homer. The Pointers countered in the bottom of
the inning with a two-run blast by Schlosser and a solo homer from Adam
Evanoff.
The Red Hawks scored three more times in the top
of the second to chase UW-Stevens Point starter Mike Thrun. John Dunlavy,
Mac Shumann and Chevy Schultz each had a run-scoring single in the inning
for a 7-3 lead. Ripon had eight of its 12 hits in the first two innings.
Dunlavy, who was three-for-five, hit a solo homer
in the fourth and Chad Olson hit a solo home run in the sixth. The Red Hawks
added another run on a run-scoring single by Chevy Schultz to extend their
lead to 10-5 in the sixth inning. However, Schultz�s hit was the only one
allowed by Pointers� reliever Matt Mehne, who pitching four scoreless
innings and ended up with the victory.
The Pointers had leadoff hits in six of the game�s
nine innings, including each of the final three. After Brandon Scheidler hit
a run-scoring single in the seventh, the Pointers hit into a double play and
then stranded a runner at third in the eighth.
In the dramatic ninth inning rally, Jordan
Zimmermann opened with a double down the left field line and Adam Evanoff
singled. Scheidler and Stewart Larsen each singled and Justin Bushong
followed with another hit to drive in a run and bring the Pointers within
10-8 with the bases loaded and nobody out. Bednarek forced a popup and a
lineout, but then hit Brad Archambeau to drive in a run and bring the
Pointers within 10-9. He got ahead of Schlosser with two strikes, but the
junior second baseman ripped a sharp grounder up the middle that made it
through to easily score two runs.
Larsen had a big day for the Pointers at
four-for-five. Along with Schlosser, Evanoff and Bushong were also
three-for-five. Olson and Kyle McFarland each had two hits for the Red
Hawks. |
