WATERTOWN, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College got back in the win column in a big way on Thursday with a pair of decisive non-conference wins, 12-3 and 21-1, over Maranatha Baptist at Washington Park.
Game 1: Wisconsin Lutheran 12, Maranatha Baptist 3
The Warriors (8-17) jumped out quickly, plating three runs in the first inning on RBI hits from freshman
Will Winiarz (Chicago, Ill.) and senior
Lucas Oswald (Muskego, Wis.). They added two more in the second, highlighted by junior
Ian Rintelman's (Muskego, Wis.) RBI double and a sacrifice fly from sophomore
Nate Dudek (Tinley Park, Ill.) to build a 5-0 lead.
The Sabercats answered with two runs in the bottom of the second, but WLC responded with a pair of runs in the third to extend the lead to 7-2.
The decisive blow came in the sixth inning, when Wisconsin Lutheran capitalized on three errors and delivered four hits to score five times, pushing the advantage to 12-2.
Rintelman led the Warriors at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Oswald finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Winiarz added two hits, two runs, and an RBI. Dudek drove in two runs, and senior
Eli Michaelis (Wauwatosa, Wis.) contributed two hits and two runs scored. Freshman
Daniel Voss (Racine, Wis.) earned the win on the mound, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked five.
For MBU (0-23), Brayden Rumford had a hit and an RBI, while Reece Martin and Teddy Haugen each recorded a hit and drove in a run.
Game 2: Wisconsin Lutheran 21, Maranatha Baptist 1
WLC broke the game open early and never looked back, plating one run in the first inning before exploding for six in the second and three more in the third to take a commanding 10-1 lead. Wisconsin Lutheran added three runs in the fourth and put the game out of reach with a seven-run sixth inning. Junior
Payton Edlen (Gilberts, Ill.) provided a spark off the bench with a two-run triple in the inning, part of the decisive rally.
Wisconsin Lutheran's offense was powered by several standout performances. Junior
Jaxon Raabe (Mukwonago, Wis.) led the way with a 3-for-4 day, driving in a game-high four RBIs and scoring once. Junior
Caleb Lott (Peoria, Ill.) also delivered three RBIs on a 2-for-4 performance, while junior
Aiden Montgomery (St. Louis, Mo.) went 1-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Junior
Colt Ratliff (Oxford, Ga.) (2-for-4, RBI), freshman
Lincoln Thede (Appleton, Wis.) (2-for-5, RBI), and Dudek (1-for-4, two RBIs) added to the balanced attack as the Warriors drew 15 walks and recorded 19 RBIs.
On the mound, freshman
Dylan Fredrick (Oconomowoc, Wis.) earned the win in his first decision of the season. The right-hander tossed 4.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five and walking two. The bullpen combination of sophomore
Auden Jatczak (Cottage Grove, Wis.), sophomore
Willie Lewis (Oconomowoc, Wis.), and senior
Adam Meier (Elkhorn, Wis.) held Maranatha Baptist scoreless over the final three innings, striking out five and allowing just one hit.
The Sabercats received one hit each from five different players. Rumford drove in MBU's lone run with a groundout in the second inning.
WLC is next scheduled to host Rockford (13-9, 3-7 NACC) on Saturday for a 12 p.m. NACC doubleheader at Neumann Family Field. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
Â
