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Box Score 2 FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Wisconsin Lutheran College baseball team continued play in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic Tuesday with two comeback wins to improve to 3-1 on the young season. WLC won 6-4 against Cornell (Iowa) before coming out ahead 7-3 against Kenyon (Ohio).
In game one, the Warriors found themselves in an early hole, allowing a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to Cornell to fall behind 2-0. WLC got a run back in the third when Connor Vredeveld (Waterloo, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran) found his way to home following a Rams' throwing error to make the score 2-1. The Warriors were unable to inflict any further damage, leaving the bases loaded to end the inning.
Cornell scored twice more in the fourth to extend its lead to 4-1, taking advantage of two WLC errors. In the fifth, Vredeveld once again scored following sloppy defense from the Rams, coming home on a wild pitch. Garrick Day (Elk Mound, Wis./Elk Mound) was able to sneak home on a double steal attempt, and Brett Youngbeck (Brown Deer, Wis./Brown Deer) lifted a fly ball to left field to bring around Sam Mattheis (Rosendale, Wis./Laconia) and tie the game at 4-4.
Starter Alex Raver (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) was able to force the next six Cornell batters to groundout to preserve the tie heading into the seventh. Day smacked a leadoff double for his fourth hit of the game and later crossed home on a Mattheis single up the middle to give the Warriors their first lead of the game. Mattheis scored a run of his own on a Youngbeck groundout to make the score 6-4.
Raver continued to work into the bottom of the inning, where he loaded the bases but forced a fly out to center to end the inning and keep WLC on top. Andrew Iverson (Janesville, Wis./Craig) shut the door in the final two frames, striking out one while not allowing a hit to record his first career save. Raver struck out three, not allowing an earned run for his first win of the year.
Day finished 4-for-5 with two runs, while Mattheis and Vredeveld both scored twice on two hits apiece, with Mattheis adding an RBI. Youngbeck led the team with two RBI.
Billy Pearson struck out seven batters on the mound for the Rams (2-3), but allowed three earned runs in 4.2 innings. Tyler Riggs was tagged with the loss, giving up two runs in one inning. Wyatt Kurzejeski went 2-for-4 with an'' RBI.
Kenyon struck first in WLC's second game, taking a 1-0 lead after a sacrifice fly in the top of the second. WLC placed two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, but couldn't push any runs across.
The Lords tacked on another run in the third to push the score to 2-0. Youngbeck tied the game with one swing of his bat in the bottom of the inning, scoring Mattheis and Roeseler on a single to right field. Kenyon responded with its third consecutive one-run inning to regain the lead at 3-2.
Unable to muster much offense in the prior three innings, the Warriors' bats came back alive in the seventh. A single from Roeseler found its way to left field to score Vredeveld and knot the game again at 3-3. Mattheis singled to right in the next at-bat to bring home Day and give WLC the edge. Mattheis later stole second, allowing Roeseler to scamper home and put the score at 5-3. Zack Skog (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) doubled the Warriors' lead with a two run single that plated Brandon Mantz (West Bend, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and Mattheis.
Joey Hodkiewicz (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) navigated his way through the final two innings of Lord batters to finish with a complete game and his first win of the year. Hodkiewicz scattered eight hits leading to three earned runs, striking out five batters in the process. Roeseler went 3-for-5 with two runs and a RBI, Youngbeck drove in two with a hit, and Skog finished with two hits and two RBI.
Thomas Morris took the loss for Kenyon (6-4), surrendering six earned runs in 6.1 innings. Phillip Nam had two RBI while Kyle Hardacker scored once on 3-for-4 at the plate.
The Warriors (3-1) will have Wednesday off before resuming play Thursday with a doubleheader against Minnesota-Morris (2-2) at Terry Park. First pitch is set for 9 a.m. CST.
