UW-L Sweeps Twinbill at UW-Stout

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Menomonie, Wis. – The UW-La Crosse baseball team improved to 12-10 overall and 5-5 in the WIAC with a doubleheader sweep at UW-Stout Wednesday afternoon at Nelson Field. The Eagles won the opener, 16-2 in seven innings, and the nightcap, 11-8. The Blue Devils fall to 9-12 overall and 3-7 in the conference.

In the opener, UW-L scored seven times in the second inning, highlighted by two-run singles by Storm Gram and Tony Peterson. The Eagles also got RBI singles from Joey Casper, Josh Weber and Darren O’Donnell.

After UW-Stout scored once in the bottom of the second to make it 7-1, UW-L tallied five runs in the top of third inning. O’Donnell had a two-run single while Weber added an RBI double and Peterson an RBI single. Gram had an RBI double in the fourth to make it 13-1 and Greg Gibson and Dusty Otto hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth for a 15-1 lead.

Adam Hughes had a sacrifice fly in the seventh for UW-L’s final scoring.

Ross Benitz (3-4) earned the win, going 5.0 innings, allowing three hits, one run and two walks while striking out three.

UW-L finished with 15 hits in the contest with Casper going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. Gram, O’Donnell, Peterson, Otto and Weber each had two hits for the Eagles with Otto scoring three times. Gram, Gibson and Weber scored two runs each while Gram, O’Donnell and Peterson each finished with three RBI. Weber also had two runs batted in.

In the nightcap, Tyler Peterson broke an 8-8 tie with a one-out solo home run in the top of the eighth. Travis Kerr added a two-run single in the ninth for an 11-8 UW-L lead.

The game was tied 2-2 after three innings with each team scoring a run in the second and third innings. The Eagles took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fourth as Otto had a double scoring Kerr and Otto later scored in the inning on a Tyler Peterson fielder’s choice. The Blue Devils came back to tie it at 4-4 with two runs in the fourth before O’Donnell gave UW-L a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth on an O’Donnell triple. He then scored on Mike Schmidt’s sacrifice fly.

UW-Stout took an 8-6 in the bottom of the fifth, but UW-L tied it 8-8 with a pair of runs in the sixth.

Tim Larson (2-1) picked up the win, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing four hits with one strikeout. Gibson started for the Eagles, going 4.1 innings, allowing six hits, eight runs (five earned) and four walks while striking out two.

Kerr was 4-for-5 at the plate for UW-L with two runs and two RBI while Tyler Peterson finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. O’Donnell was 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI while Otto had two RBI.

UW-L returns to action Saturday, April 12 hosting UW-Oshkosh at noon in a doubleheader at North Campus Field.