UW-L Eliminated from WIAC Tournament with Loss to UW-Oshkosh

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 8, 2009

Whitewater, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse baseball team was eliminated from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament Friday afternoon with a 8-7 loss to UW-Oshkosh at Prucha Field. The Eagles finish their season at 22-16 while the Titans improve to 24-15 and will face the winner of the UW-Whitewater/UW-Stevens Point contest at 4 p.m. Friday.

UW-L took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning Friday as Travis Kerr hit a lead-off home run and Jay Fanta an RBI single to score Joey Casper. UW-Oshkosh came right back with four runs in the bottom of the first on five hits. Ben Sebesta and Derek Hiroskey had RBI singles to tie the game and Andrew Eichstaedt gave the Titans a 4-2 lead with a two-run single.

The Eagles tallied five times in the top of the third to take a 7-4 lead. Casper opened the inning with his second double of the game and Storm Gram walked. Fanta then hit an RBI single to score Casper and Cory Poppitz tied the game with a run-scoring single. Darren O'Donnell followed with a three-run home run to give UW-L a 7-4 lead. Eichstaedt had an RBI single for UW-Oshkosh in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 7-5.

UW-Oshkosh then scored three times in the bottom of the fourth. Sebesta had a two-run double to tie the game and Brock Wetenkamp had the eventual game-winning single to knock in Sebesta.

Ross Benitz suffered the loss for UW-L, pitching 3.0 inings, allowing 13 hits, eight runs (seven earned) and two walks while striking out two. Fanta finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI while Lance Poppy was 3-for-4. Casper was 2-for-5 with two run scored, Poppitz 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI while O'Donnell had three RBI.

Kyle Kannenberg earned the win for UW-Oshkosh, going 7.0 innings, allowing five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Wetenkamp and Eichstaedt each had three hits while Eichstaedt and Sebesta had three RBI.