UW-L Drops Season-Opener to Nationally Ranked St. Scholastica

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009

Minneapolis, Minn. – The UW-La Crosse baseball team opened its 2009 season with a 6-3 loss to 14th-ranked The College of Scholastica (Minn.) Tuesday night in the Metrodome. The Saints led 6-3 in the middle of the sixth inning in the second game of the doubleheader, but due to the length of the first game, the nightcap does not officially count because it was not played in its entirety.

In the opener, St. Scholastica scored a pair of runs in the top of the first on an RBI double from Paul Kolodge and a run-scoring single by Jake Gaub. UW-L came back to tie the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Darren O'Donnell walked to open the inning and after Jay Fanta hit a single, O'Donnell scored on a Saints' error. Travis Kerr later added a sacrifice fly to score Joey Casper to tie the contest.

St. Scholastica took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth on a Sean Claughtery single and the Saints added three more runs in the top of the sixth. Kyle Wojtysiak had a sacrifice fly, Steve Gerten scored on a UW-L error and Brian Marshik had an RBI double.

UW-L scored once in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 6-3 as Josh Weber drew a bases-loaded walk to score Fanta.

Ross Benitz (0-1) suffered the loss for UW-L, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing nine hits, five runs and two walks while striking out four. Greg Gibson pitched 0.1 of an inning, allowing one run and one walk while Tim Larson went 1.2 innings, allowing one hit and two walks with three strikeouts.

Storm Gram was 2-for-4 at the plate for the Eagles as the team finished with six hits.

UW-L returns to action Sunday, Mar. 15 versus Western New England College (Mass.) in Phoenix, Arizona.