Zaccanti's Two-Run Blast Boosts Baseball To NACC Road Split

DE PERE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) - Junior Noah Zaccanti (Geneva, Ill.) capped a three-run eighth inning with a go-ahead two-run homerun to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to a 6-5 win over St. Norbert in game two of a Northern Atheltics Collegiate Conference doubleheader on Wednesday at Larry Van Alstine Field. The Green Knights won the opener 18-7 over the Warriors as the teams split the NACC twinbill.

Junior Nolan Hodgins (Caledonia, Wis.) gave WLC (9-25, 3-15 NACC) a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one with a two-run homerun, his team-leading sixth of the season. SNC (15-18, 8-10 NACC), which scored runs in every inning, came back with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the opening inning before freshman Ian Rintelman (Muskego, Wis.) evened things up in the second with a solo blast of his own.

Facing an eight-run deficit, a sacrifice fly in the fourth from Shevey sent home Rintelman. Sophomore Tim Frerking (Oconomowoc, Wis.) added a RBI double in the fifth, and a two-run double in the seventh to account for Wisconsin Lutheran's seven runs. Hodgins went 4-for-4 with three runs and two RBI, while Frerking and Rintelman each were 2-for-4. Frerking drove in three runs and Rintelman scored twice and drove in a run.

The Warriors loaded the bases with just one out in the first inning of game two, and a sacrifice fly from Rintelman gave them an early 1-0 lead. St. Norbert evened the score with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the first, and went in front in the third with a RBI triple.

WLC, which trailed 3-1 after a two-out RBI double in the last of the sixth. evened the score with a pair of runs in the seventh. Sophomore Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.) scored senior Henry Strupp (Watertown, Wis.) with a sacrifice fly to center, and freshman Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.) came through with a two-out RBI single that plated sophomore Kason McFadden (Sachse, Texas).

After the Green Knights went in front 4-3 in their half of the seventh, Wisconsin Lutheran's first three batters did the damage in the eighth. Rintelman followed a leadoff walk from Hodgins with a RBI double and Zaccanti smacked the go-ahead two-run homer the next at-bat to give the Warriors a 6-4 advantage. SNC came within a run in the bottom of the eighth via a two-out RBI single, but junior Jaime Miner (Erie, Ill.) came on for the ninth and stranded the tying run on second to salvage the doubleheader split. 

Montgomery finished 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored, while Rintelman and Zaccanti drove in two runs apiece. Six other WLC players tallied one hit each. Junior starter Elijah Shevey (Muskego, Wis.) struckout a career-high 11 batters over 6.0 innings. Junior Will Tucholski (Geneva, Ill.) earned the win after throwing 1.1 relief innings. Miner pitched a scoreless ninth for his second career save. Wisconsin Lutheran tied a program record by fanning 14 St. Norbert hitters.

The Warriors start a six-game homestand on Saturday when they host Dominican (13-21, 5-13 NACC) for a 12 p.m. NACC doubleheader at Neumann Family Field. Live coverage links will be available at WLCSports.com.