UW-L Opens Conference Season with Split at UW-Platteville

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Platteville, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse baseball team opened up its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) season with a doubleheader split at UW-Platteville's Kendall Murray Field Wednesday afternoon. The Pioneers won the opener, 3-2, while the Eagles came back to take the nightcap, 7-2. UW-L is now 8-4 overall and 1-1 in the WIAC while UW-Plattevills is 6-6 overall and also 1-1 in the conference.

In the opener, the Pioneers' Brett Benesh hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give UW-Platteville the 3-2 victory. UW-L took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Joey Casper scored an unearned run on Sean Cory's fielder's choice. UW-Platteville took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second on Jason Jacobson's two-run double scoring Lee Hawkins and Cole Payne.

UW-L tied the contest in the top of the fifth on Casper's sacrifice fly scoring Lance Poppy, who had drawn a one-out walk. The Eagles had the bases-loaded with one out in the top of the seventh, but failed to score before Benesh hit his game-winning home run in the eighth.

Ross Benitz (pictured right) suffered the loss for UW-L, pitching 2.0 innings in relief. He allowed three hits and one run. Bryant Rude started for the Eagles, going 6.0 innings, allowing four hits, two runs and six walks while striking out 10. Storm Gram, Cory Poppitz and Tyler Peterson each had two hits for UW-L.

Joe Lange earned the win for UW-Platteville, pitching 8.0 innings and allowing eight hits, two runs (one earned) and two walks with eight strikeouts. Aaron Daniels pitched the ninth inning for the save, allowing one walk while striking out one. Hawkins had two hits for the Pioneers.

In the nightcap, Benitz came back to earn the victory for UW-L. He went 6.0 innings, allowing two hits and one walk with six strikeouts. Luke Zurbriggen went 1.2 innings, allowing four hits, two runs and two walks while striking out two. Steve Henes pitched 0.1 of an inning and Levi Adank went 1.0 inning with a walk and two strikeouts.

The Eagels took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as Poppitz had a run-scoring double to knock in Darren O'Donnell who had singled and Poppy had a double to score Poppitz. UW-L added three runs in the sixth as Jay Fanta had a run-scoring single and Poppy and Peterson were both hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. Travis Kerr scored an unearned run for the Eagles in the eighth to give them a 6-0 lead before the Pioneers tallied twice in the bottom of the inning. Fanta finished the scoring for UW-L with a single in the ninth scoring Casper. Fanta finished with two hits and two RBI while Poppy had two RBI.

Justin Crotty suffered the loss for UW-Platteville, pitching 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, five runs and three walks while striking out five. Hawkins had two hits for the Pioneers.

UW-L returns to action Saturday, April 4 hosting UW-Superior at noon.