FORT MYERS, Fla. (WLCSports.com) – Junior
Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.) went 4-for-4 with a triple and drove in a pair of runs as Wisconsin Lutheran College salvaged a doubleheader split with a 10-5 win in game two against Valley Forge. The Patriots won the opener 6-5 on Wednesday at Terry Park in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.
Game 1 – Valley Forge 6, Wisconsin Lutheran 5
Junior
Ian Rintelman (Muskego, Wis.) started a two-out rally with a double to right field and scored the next at-bat as junior
Colt Ratliff (Oxford, Ga.) singled to put the Warriors on the scoreboard first. Senior
Zach Alburg (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) extended the lead to 2-0 in the opening frame before UVF cut the deficit in half, 2-1, in the bottom half.
WLC got the run back in the top of the third when senior
Eli Michaelis (Wauwatosa, Wis.) singled to start the inning, stole second base, and came around to score on an RBI single from Rintelman. Valley Forge took the lead with a four-run bottom of the inning on a grand slam.
The Patriots added an insurance run in the fourth on a bases loaded walk, but Wisconsin Lutheran retired the next two batters to keep the game at 6-3. In the top of the fifth, Michaelis, Rintelman, and Montgomery all doubled, but UVF maintained the 6-5 advantage after recording an out at the plate.
The Warriors threatened with the tying run in the final frame when Michaelis led off with a double and advanced to third with just one out, but Valley Forge stranded him there to close out the game.
Michaelis and Rintelman paced WLC's offense, each going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Five other players recorded a hit as Wisconsin Lutheran finished with 11 as a team. Sophomore
Brett Gatch (Hometown, Ill.) finished the game with 1.1 scoreless innings in relief.
Juan Lopez went 4-for-4 and Chase Timmons added five RBI with a grand slam to lead the Patriots. Aaron Zapato earned the win in 4.1 innings on the bump, while Brandon Dalmado earned his first save of the season with a scoreless inning.
Game 2 – Wisconsin Lutheran 10, Valley Forge 5
The Warriors were first on the scoreboard again in the second slate when Ratliff launched a two-run homer in the first inning. UVF added a run in the second and threatened with a pair of runners in scoring position, but senior
Austin Preiss (South Milwaukee, Wis.) escaped the jam with a punchout to keep WLC up 2-1.
With two outs in the second, Michaelis roped another double to plate freshman
Jacob Bickel (Appleton, Wis.) and freshman
Dawsen Burington (Appleton, Wis.), extending the lead to 4-1. Wisconsin Lutheran added an insurance run in the third when Rintelman scored on Montgomery's RBI single. Valley Forge got that run back in the top of the fourth, cutting the Warriors' advantage to 5-2.
The Patriots got a pair of runs in the fifth and two runners in scoring position, but sophomore
Zach Rodrigues (Monee, Ill.) kept WLC in front with a flyout to center field. Wisconsin Lutheran added a pair of runs in the fifth on bases loaded walks from Bickel and Michaelis.
The Warriors put the game away in the sixth on three consecutive run-scoring base hits from Montgomery, sophomore
Jacob Lorbecki (Richfield, Wis.), and Burington to give the them a 10-4 lead. UVF got a run back in the final frame.
Montgomery and Burington each reached base in all five plate appearances for WLC, which had all nine starters reach base during the game. Wisconsin Lutheran tallied six extra base hits in the contest. Priess earned his first win of the season on the mound, allowing two runs in 4.0 innings.
Valley Forge (5-6) was led by Carson Lengle's 3-for-4 performance offensively.
The Warriors (2-6) continue play in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic with a single game tomorrow against Pitt-Bradford (1-8) at 12 p.m. ET at Terry Park.
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