WAUWATOSA, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College received a pair of strong pitching performances, but dropped a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader to Marian on Friday at Neumann Family Field. The Sabres defeated the Warriors by scores of 6-3 and 2-0.
MU capitalized on a pair of first-inning walks with a two-run single for the early lead. Marian scored on a throwing error in the second and added a two-out RBI single in the fourth for a 4-0 advantage.
WLC broke through in the fourth with three straight two-out singles, including a RBI from freshman
Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.) for a 4-1 deficit. Marian made it 5-1 in the sixth when it added a run on a two-out wild pitch. Lopeztello drove in his second run of the game in the sixth, a two-out RBI single that plated freshman
Lucas Oswald (Muskego, Wis.) for a 5-2 margin.
The Sabres scored their final run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly, but Wisconsin Lutheran didn't go down easy in its last at-bat. Leadoff singles from Lopeztello and freshman
Eli Michaelis (Wauwatosa, Wis.) and a RBI single from sophomore
Noah Zaccanti (Geneva, Ill.) brought the Warriors within 6-3. MU escaped further damage with a game-ending 9-3 lineout double-play.
Lopeztello led WLC by going 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run, while Zaccanti and Oswald had two hits each. Junior
Gabe Knight (Brighton, Mich.) didn't allow an earned run in 3.1 innings of relief work on the mound.
Marian used a sacrifice fly in the third inning of game two to take a 1-0 lead. The Sabres worked around a pair of one-out walks in the fifth to keep Wisconsin Lutheran off the scoreboard, and tallied their second run on a double-play groundout in the sixth for a 2-0 score.
Back-to-back two-out singles from Michaelis and freshman
Tim Frerking (Oconomowoc, Wis.) in the seventh went unscathed. The Warriors did threaten again in the ninth with one-out singles from seniors
Carter Raabe (Mukwonago, Wis.) and
Danny Cain (Jackson, Wis.), but a check-swing third strike call ended the game with the lead run at the plate.
Six players posted one hit apiece for WLC in the nightcap. Freshman
Storm Portsche (Lincoln, Neb.) pitched 8.0 innings, the most by a starter this season, allowing two runs on seven hits.
Wisconsin Lutheran (3-27) continues its weekend homestand with a 12 p.m. non-conference doubleheader against Maranatha Baptist (1-22) tomorrow at Neumann Family Field. Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.
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