OCONOMOWOC, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College dropped both ends of a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader to Benedictine on Saturday at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park, falling 13-2 in seven innings in game one and 6-3 in game two.
Game 1: Benedictine 13, Wisconsin Lutheran 2 (7 Inn.)
The Eagles (10-11, 3-3 NACC) struck quickly, capitalizing on defensive miscues in the first inning before a two-run homerun made it 3-0. BenU added two more runs in the third, highlighted by a solo homerun and a sacrifice fly, to extend the lead to 5-0.
The visitors broke the game open in the fourth inning, plating six runs on seven hits, including back-to-back homeruns, to take an 11-0 advantage. Benedictine continued to add on with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Warriors (5-12, 1-3 NACC) got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore
Ryan Pierquet (Chilton, Wis.) led off the inning with a double before junior
Ian Rintelman (Muskego, Wis.) followed with a two-run homerun to left-center, accounting for both WLC runs.
Rintelman led Wisconsin Lutheran at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with his second homerun of the season and two RBIs. Pierquet added a hit and a run scored, while junior
Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.), senior
Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.), and sophomore
Nate Dudek (Tinley Park, Ill.) also recorded hits for the Warriors.
The Eagles were led by Spencer Geake, who went 3-for-4 with two homeruns and three RBIs. Mike Budorick added two homeruns and drove in four runs, while Nic Castrovillari collected three hits and Justin Nonnenmann contributed two hits and an RBI. On the mound, Braden Behrens earned the win for BenU, tossing a complete-game effort. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out three without issuing a walk over seven innings.
Game 2: Benedictine 6, Wisconsin Lutheran 3
Benedictine struck first in the opening inning, manufacturing a run on a stolen base and a caught-stealing play at second. WLC was held scoreless through six innings before rallying in the seventh.
Freshman
Lincoln Thede (Appleton, Wis.) led off the inning with a single and later scored on junior
Jaxon Raabe's (Mukwonago, Wis.) sacrifice bunt to tie the game. Rintelman followed with an RBI double to right-center that plated freshman
Dawsen Burington (Appleton, Wis.), giving Wisconsin Lutheran a 2-1 lead.
The Eagles answered immediately in the eighth with a two-run double, wild pitch, and a groundout to plate four runs and surge ahead 5-2. BenU added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI double.
The Warriors threatened in the ninth by loading the bases with two outs, before plating a run on junior
Caleb Lott's (Peoria, Ill.) RBI single. The tying run was left on first after a 1-3 groundout ended the game.
WLC finished with 10 hits, led by senior
Eli Michaelis (Wauwatosa, Wis.) (2-for-3), junior
Colt Ratliff (Oxford, Ga.) (2-for-4), and Thede (2-for-5). Rintelman added a double and an RBI, while Lott drove in a run. Senior
Austin Preiss (South Milwaukee, Wis.) started for Wisconsin Lutheran and allowed just one run over six innings.
Nonnenmann paced Benedictine's offense, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Budorick went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs, while Hank Friedrich added two hits and a run. Connor Kehoe earned the win in relief for the Eagles, tossing 2.1 innings while allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts and four walks. Starter Conner Kendall struck out 10 over six scoreless innings.
The Warriors travel to De Pere on Monday for a 12 p.m. NACC doubleheader against St. Norbert (11-5, 1-1 NACC) at Mel Nicks Sports Complex. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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