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Pointers and Blue
Devils Swap Unusual Twinbill
Two drastically different games resulted in a
split for the UW-Stevens Point and UW-Stout baseball teams on Wednesday in
Stevens Point.
After the Pointers pulled out a 1-0 pitchers� duel
in the opener, UW-Stout prevailed 13-10 in the second game as the teams
combined for 29 hits, 10 errors and seven walks. UW-Stevens Point had beaten
the Blue Devils nine straight times and fell to 16-9 overall and 10-3 in the
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-Stout is now 14-15 overall
and 5-9 in the league.
In the opener, Pointers� ace Jordan Zimmermann
turned in a complete game two-hitter with 11 strikeouts. UW-Stevens Point
had only three hits of its own off UW-Stout pitchers Nick Klaren and Matt
Doornink, but took advantage of a costly error for its only run. With two
outs in the fifth, Tim Schlosser�s fly ball was dropped for a two-base
error. Ben Warwick then lofted a bloop single into right field, scoring
Schlosser with the game�s only run.
The Blue Devils had runners on first and third
with one out in the ninth, but Zimmermann earned a strikeout and groundout
to end the game.
UW-Stout rallied from a 10-7 deficit in the eighth
inning of the second game to force the split. The Blue Devils scored four
runs in the eighth after two outs, getting a two-run double by Greg
Smolinski to pull to within 10-9 and a run-scoring single by Erik Johnson to
tie the game. Matt Krause then drilled a double to right center to score
Johnson with the go-ahead run.
The Blue Devils scored two more runs in the top of
the ninth for a three-run cushion. UW-Stevens Point brought the tying run to
the plate twice in the bottom of the inning, but UW-Stout outfielders made a
pair of diving catches to end the game. Johnson made a diving catch in right
field on a foul ball hit by Ryan Byrnes and defensive replacement Eric Paul
fully outstretched to rob Adam Evanoff of an extra-base hit to left center.
UW-Stout jumped out to a 6-0 lead with six runs on
four UW-Stevens Point errors in the third inning. The Pointers got
back-to-back home runs by Joel Hojnacki and Brad Archambeau to score three
times in the bottom of the frame and then added six runs on three UW-Stout
errors in the fifth for a 9-7 lead.
UW-Stout had 16 hits in the game, while the
Pointers totaled 13 hits and committed six errors. Only two of the Blue
Devils� 13 runs were team earned runs. Brad Archambeau was four-for-six for
the Pointers and Klaren was four-for-six for UW-Stout in the second game. |
