FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College concluded its 2025 season with a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference sweep against Marian on Friday at Herr-Baker Field. The Warriors dropped a 6-2 decision in the opener before suffering a walk-off defeat, 6-5, in 10 innings in game two.
GAME 1
The Warriors jumped on the scoreboard first after the first four batters reached base safely and sophomore
Ian Rintelman (Muskego, Wis.) delivered a run-scoring single, but the Sabres limited the damage by stranding the bases loaded. MU got the run back in its half of the opening frame and added a single run in the second and two more in the third to extend its lead to 4-1. After a pair of scoreless frames, Marian added another run in the sixth, pushing its lead to 5-1.
WLC threatened in the seventh with a pair of runners on base, but the hosts escaped the jam before adding an insurance run in the bottom half of the frame. Wisconsin Lutheran scratched a run across the board in the ninth when Rintelman plated freshman
Ryan Pierquet (Chilton, Wis.) on a RBI groundout before the Sabres closed the door, 6-2.
Pierquet led the Warriors' offense with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, while sophomore
Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.) added a pair of hits. Rintelman tallied the lone RBIs in the contest.
Marc Jones tallied two hits and a pair of RBI for MU in the opener, and Ryan Nelson reached base safely three times with two hits of his own. Blake Griesbach earned the win on the mound after surrendering a single run in 6.0 innings, and Riley Richard collected the save after finishing off the final 3.0 innings.
GAME 2
Marian executed a first-and-third steal in the opening frame to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. WLC threatened in the second after loading the bases, but a lineout and groundout stranded the bases loaded. The Sabres doubled their lead, 2-0, with an unearned run in the third before adding two more in the fifth. Wisconsin Lutheran cracked the scoreboard on a RBI single from junior
Lucas Oswald (Muskego, Wis.) in the sixth, but an out at the plate kept the deficit at 4-1. MU got the run back in its half of the frame to lead 5-1 through six innings.
The Warriors stormed back with a four-run inning to knot the game at 5-5 in the seventh. Pierquet and senior
Noah Zaccanti (Geneva, Ill.) started the rally with back-to-back singles before a sophomore
Colt Ratliff (Oxford, Ga.) hit-by-pitch loaded the bases. Rintelman earned a free pass to score the first run, followed by a two-run single by senior Noah Hodgins (Caledonia, Wis.) brought WLC's deficit to a single run. Montgomery kept the rally going with a double down the right field line to tie the game, but Wisconsin Lutheran couldn't jump out in front as Marian escaped the jam with the score knotted up at 5-5. The score remained tied as the game went into extra innings. In the 10th, the Sabres loaded the bases and walked-off the Warriors on a wild pitch to secure the win, 6-5.
WLC had seven different players record hits in the nightcap with Ratliff, Hodgins, Montgomery, and Oswald each having multiple hits. Senior
Matt Brissette (Mukwonago, Wis.) didn't factor into the decision after 5.1 innings and three earned runs allowed. Senior
Will Tucholski (Geneva, Ill.) tossed 2.2 perfect frames of relief.
Robbie Knorr and James Bornick each went 2-for-4 for the Sabres (20-19, 14-10 NACC). Michael Martinez allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings out of the bullpen to earn the win.
Wisconsin Lutheran finishes its 2025 season 14-24 overall and 9-15 in the NACC. The conference win total is the Warriors' highest since winning 11 league games in 2013.
Â
