Warriors Sweep Eagles In Return To Neumann Family Field

MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Lutheran College baseball team stayed alive in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tournament race with a doubleheader sweep over Edgewood Sunday in its return to Neumann Family Baseball Field. The Warriors defeated the Eagles by scores of 8-3 and 12-5 in their first two home games of the season at the newly-renovated field.

THE BASICS

• Final Scores: Wisconsin Lutheran 8, Edgewood 3; Wisconsin Lutheran 12, Edgewood 5
• Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (17-12, 6-8 NACC), Edgewood (13-15, 8-6 NACC)
• Location: Neumann Family Baseball Field, Milwaukee, Wis. | Attendance: 93

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

• The Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning of the opener when Brad Clark scored from third off a fielding error.
• After two scoreless innings, Edgewood tacked on two more runs, both of the unearned variety, in the fifth for a 3-0 lead.
• Wisconsin Lutheran reached the scoring column in the sixth on an RBI single from Korben Biersack (Greenfield, Wis./Greenfield) that plated Aaron Roeseler (Watertown, Wis./Luther Preparatory).
• The Warriors waited until the eighth for an offensive outburst. WLC scored seven times, including six two-out hits. WLC recorded half of its hits in the game in the eighth inning alone.

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

• Jake Grollo (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the second inning of game two when he singled home Brett Youngbeck (Brown Deer, Wis./Brown Deer) with two outs.
• The Eagles answered back with two runs on two hits for a 2-1 lead in the fourth, but WLC avoided further damage as Edgewood stranded the bases loaded.
• Wisconsin Lutheran went back in front 3-2 in its half of the fourth on RBI singles from Grollo and Youngbeck, as the duo had two of four hits in the frame for WLC.
• Edgewood scored its third run of the game in the fifth on a erred throw that allowed Zack Creekmore to cross home plate and tie the score at 3-3.
• WLC once again saved its big inning for the final stretch as it scored seven runs in the seventh on four hits to take a commanding 10-3 lead. Four of the Warriors' runs in the inning were unearned as EC committed a pair of errors that led to the run-scoring outburst.
• The Eagles scored twice in the eighth on an RBI double and single to cut their deficit in half, but the Warriors got those two runs back in their next at-bat on Brandon Mantz's (West Bend, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) two-RBI single and the Eagles were sent down in order in the ninth as WLC completed the sweep.

QUICK HITS

• Sam Mattheis (Rosendale, Wis./Laconia), Mantz, Grollo, and Biersack had two hits each in the opener. Youngbeck drove in two runs.
• Brock Vredeveld (Waterloo, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran) tossed a complete game to earn his second win of the season. The freshman allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits, walking one and striking out three.
• WLC committed a season-high six errors in the opener, but the Eagles were unable to capitalize on the miscues.
• Clark went 2-for-3 with a run scored for Edgewood. Alex Meister gave up three earned runs in one-third of an inning of relief work and was dealt the game one loss.
• Grollo led the Warriors' offensive onslaught in game two by going 4-for-4 with four RBIs. Roeseler added three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored, while Youngbeck also recorded a pair of hits, scored twice, and drove in one.
• WLC finished with 14 hits in each game of the doubleheader.
• Aaron Kieweg (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) came on for the final 3.0 innings of relief to pickup his first win of the season.
• Clark and Callen Gavic each had two hits for the Eagles in the nightcap.
• Eagles' starter Andy Swanson pitched 6.1 innings and allowed 10 runs (six earned) on 10 hits to suffer the loss.

UP NEXT

• Wisconsin Lutheran hosts Ripon (10-11) in a single non-conference game Tuesday at Neumann Family Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.