Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 VERONA, Wis. - The Wisconsin Lutheran College baseball team couldn't hold on to leads in either game as it was swept 13-4 and 9-7 by Edgewood in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader Wednesday at Stampl Field. The Warriors (15-13, 6-8 NACC) suffered a sweep for the second straight day after dropping a pair of games to No. 3 Concordia Chicago Tuesday.
WLC grabbed the lead in the first inning of game one on an RBI groundout by Sam Mattheis (Rosendale, Wis./Laconia). After the Eagles (13-19, 8-6 NACC) were held scoreless in the bottom of the first, they proceeded to score runs in each of the next seven frames.
Edgewood tied the game in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice bunt by Nate Averill and took the lead for good in the third on Alex Jaskulski's run-scoring double. Ryan O'Dell brought him home with another double to give the Eagles a 3-1 advantage.
After Edgewood scored two more in the fourth, WLC scored off of an error in the fifth to pull within 5-2. Brad Clark connected on an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth for the Eagles to make it 6-2. Edgewood went on to score two in the sixth and the Warriors responded with a pair of runs in the seventh inning, including an RBI fielder's choice by Brett Youngbeck (Brown Deer, Wis./Brown Deer). The relentless Eagles offense came back with two more in the seventh and three in the eighth to cap the scoring.
Josh Ruppel (Belgium, Wis./Cedar Grove-Belgium) (3-3) allowed six runs on 12 hits in 4.0 innings in the loss. Garrick Day (Elk Mound, Wis./Elk Mound) was 2-for-5 with three runs and Mattheis, Jake Klemme (Plymouth Wis., Plymouth), and Aaron Roeseler (Watertown, Wis./Luther Preparatory) recorded two hits apiece.
O'Dell was 5-for-6 with two doubles, three RBI, and three runs and Zack Creekmore was 4-for-6 with two RBI and three runs to lead the Eagles. Jaskulski and Marc Ostrowski added three hits apiece. Taylor Hillmann (3-2) held WLC to four runs (three earned) on nine hits in 7.0 innings for the victory.
Mattheis once again provided a first-inning run for the Warriors in game two with an RBI single to left to score Roeseler. WLC held the lead until the third inning, when a trio of costly errors led to three unearned runs for Edgewood.
Zack Skog (Hampshire, Ill./Hampshire) cut the deficit to 3-2 with a two-out RBI single in the fourth. The Warriors took advantage of four Eagles errors to score three runs and regain the lead in the fifth. Mattheis, Youngbeck, and Klemme each drove in runs in the inning to give WLC a 5-3 lead. The Eagles tied the game in the home half of the inning, as Creekmore hammered an RBI double and later came home on a throwing error.
The Warriors utilized smart baserunning to go in front in the seventh. With two outs, Brandon Mantz (West Bend, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) got caught in a rundown between first and second, but Ryan Stancl (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) was able to steal home before Mantz was tagged out to put the Warriors ahead 6-5. The Eagles took the lead right back in the bottom of the inning, as Jaskulski and O'Dell hit RBI singles to make it 7-6.
Mattheis knocked a run-scoring single in the eighth to pull the Warriors to within a run, but Edgewood scored two more in the bottom of the eighth and hung on for the win and doubleheader sweep.
Alex Raver (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) (1-1) allowed nine runs (three earned) in 7.0 innings for the loss. Mattheis was 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI and Day, Klemme, and Roeseler contributed two hits apiece for the second straight game.
Andy Swanson (3-1) pitched a complete game for the Eagles, and surrendered seven runs (three earned). Creekmore and Andrew Lauritzen each tallied three hits.
Wisconsin Lutheran will meet Cardinal Stritch (11-22) in a non-conference contest Friday at 3 p.m. at WCTC Baseball Field in Pewaukee. Live stats will be provided at wlcsports.com.
