DE PERE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College rebounded from a heartbreaking 7-5 game one loss for a 7-6 win in the nightcap of a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader with St. Norbert on Monday at Larry Van Alstine Field.
Game 1: St. Norbert 7, Wisconsin Lutheran 5
The Warriors (6-13, 2-4 NACC) grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when junior
Colt Ratliff (Oxford, Ga.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score sophomore
Ryan Pierquet (Chilton, Wis.). The Green Knights answered with two runs in the third and added another unearned run in the fourth to build a 3-1 advantage.
WLC chipped away, scoring an unearned run in the sixth on freshman
Lincoln Thede's (Appleton, Wis.) RBI groundout before taking a 4-3 lead in the seventh. Junior
Ian Rintelman delivered an RBI single and later scored alongside senior
Oliver Lopeztello (Chicago, Ill.) on a SNC error.
The lead was short-lived, as Tyler Dean tied the game with a solo homerun in the bottom of the seventh. St. Norbert regained the lead in the eighth on a sacrifice fly, going up 5-4.
Wisconsin Lutheran evened the score in the ninth when Rintelman came through again with an RBI single to plate junior
Jaxon Raabe (Mukwonago, Wis.). However, in the bottom half, Dean doubled to start the inning and Connor LaBar followed with a two-run homer to end the game.
Rintelman led the Warriors at the plate, going 3-for-5 with one RBI. Ratliff added a 2-for-3 performance with an RBI and a run scored, while Pierquet also had two hits. Junior
Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.), Thede, freshman
Dawsen Burington (Appleton, Wis.), and Lopeztello each contributed a hit. Senior
Jordan Bierdemann (Franklin, Wis.) started on the mound and worked 7.0 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits with four walks.
For the Green Knights, Matt Schuch and Ethan Volz each had two hits, while Dean finished 2-for-4 with a homerun and two runs scored. LaBar's two-run homer provided the decisive blow. Connor Christensen earned the win in relief, allowing one run on one hit over the final inning while striking out one.
Game 2: Wisconsin Lutheran 7, St. Norbert 6
WLC broke through in the second inning, scoring three runs. Junior
Payton Edlen (Gilberts, Ill.) delivered the big hit with a two-run double, while
Jacob Bickel (Appleton, Wis.) added a sacrifice fly to open the scoring.
After SNC trimmed the deficit to 3-2 through three innings, Wisconsin Lutheran responded with two runs in the fourth. Pierquet singled home a run and
Ian Rintelman added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-2.
The Warriors added two more runs in the sixth inning on RBIs from sophomore
Elijah Knutson (Blanchardville, Wis.) and Thede, pushing the advantage to 7-3.
St. Norbert answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and added another in the ninth on an RBI double, but WLC shut the door to secure the win.
At the plate, Wisconsin Lutheran was led by Edlen, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Pierquet also had three hits and drove in a run, while Knutson, Rintelman, and junior
Caleb Lott (Peoria, Ill.) each added two hits.
On the mound, sophomore
Malachi Kramer (Appleton, Wis.) earned the win. The right-hander allowed five runs on 12 hits over 6.0 innings, striking out four and walking two. Freshman
Sam Lipps (Onalaska, Wis.) tossed two scoreless innings of relief, and Rintelman recorded the final three outs for his second save despite allowing one run.
The Green Knights (13-7, 3-3 NACC) were led by Will DeBruin (2-for-4, two runs), Dean (2-for-3, two RBI), and Carson Krumrei (2-for-4, RBI), who were three of the six players to post multi-hit games.
The Warriors travel to Montgomery, Illinois on Saturday, April 4 for a 12 p.m. NACC doubleheader against Aurora (13-9, 6-2 NACC). Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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