Fanta Ties School Record in Opening Win at UW-Platteville; Benitz and Adank Complete Sweep in Nightcap

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Platteville, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse baseball team improved to 16-6 overall and 9-3 in the WIAC with a doubleheader sweep at UW-Platteville Wednesday afternoon at Kendall Murray Field. The Eagles won the opener, 10-2, and the nightcap, 3-1. The Pioneers fall to 13-13 overall and 5-7 in the league with their two losses.

In the opener, UW-L tied a single-game school record with eight doubles, including three from Jay Fanta. The three doubles by Fanta tie a single-game individual record. The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Fanta hit his first double of the game scoring Matt Trocke and Storm Gram. Fanta added an RBI single in the top of the third to make it 3-0 and Mickey Boyle had an RBI double in the fourth for a 4-0 lead.

UW-Platteville cut the lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of runs, but UW-L tallied four times in the top of the fifth. Fanta scored on a passed ball, Tyler Peterson had a two-run double and Travis Kerr an RBI single. The Eagles finished the scoring with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings on RBI singles from Kerr and Sean Cory.

The Eagles finished with 17 hits in the opener, including four from Fanta who finished 4-for-5 with three doubles, three RBI and a run scored. Kerr was 3-for-4 with two RBI while Peterson finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run. Gram and Cory Poppitz were both 2-for-5 with two runs scored while Trock and Boyle each scored twice.

Bryant Rude (3-1) earned the win for UW-L, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, two runs (both unearned) and four walks while striking out six. Tim Larson went 3.0 innings, allowing four hits with four strikeouts, and Jeremiah Samuelson went 1.0 inning, allowing one hit with a strikeout.

Wil Osmanski (1-2) suffered the loss for UW-Platteville, going 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits with five runs (two earned) with six strikeouts. Brett Benish and Brenden Watson both had three hits for the Pioneers while Lee Hawkins finished with two.

Ross Benitz (6-2) picked up the victory the Eagles in the nightcap, going 7.0 innings, allowing three hits, one run and four walks with two strikeouts. Levi Adank earned his third save, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout.

UW-L took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Trocke opened the inning reaching after a UW-Platteville error and advanced to third on Gram's single. Trocke then scored on Fanta's RBI groundout. The Pioneers tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth on Levi Ney's sacrifice fly to score Jason Jacobson, but the Eagles took a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh. Fanta opened with his fourth double of the day and scored on an RBI triple from Poppitz for a 2-1 advantage. Cory followed with a run-scoring single to knock in Poppitz for the final margin.

Cory was 3-for-4 with an RBI in the nightcap while Gram finished 2-for-4.

Joe Lange (3-4) pitched a complete-game for UW-Platteville in the second game, going 9.0 innings, allowing 10 hits and three runs (two earned) with 11 strikeouts. Benesh finished 2-for-3 at the plate.

UW-L returns to action Saturday, April 18 hosting UW-Stevens Point in a WIAC doubleheader starting at noon at North Campus Field.