UW-L Falls Twice to Hamline

For Immediate Release: Saturday, March 15, 2008

Tempe, Ariz. – The UW-La Crosse baseball team fell to 3-2 on the season with a pair of losses to Hamline University (Minn.) Saturday afternoon at Tempe High School. Hamline improves to 5-4 on the year.

In the opener, the Pipers raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first as Tres Humerickhouse had a two-run double and Lincoln Hughes an RBI single. Hamline made it 5-0 in the top of the fifth on Hughes' two-run single and added two more runs in the sixth for a 7-0 lead.

UW-L scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the sixth. Mike Schmidt had an RBI single scoring Storm Gram to cut the lead to 7-1 and Joey Casper made it 7-2 as he scored on a wild pitch. Schmidt and Tony Peterson later scored on a Hamline error, but the Eagles were held without a hit the rest of the game.

Ross Benitz was the losing pitcher for UW-L, going 4.2 innings, allowing nine hits, five runs and two walks while striking out three. Josh Weber was 2-for-3 at the plate for the Eagles.

In the nightcap, UW-L scored five runs in the top of the first, but Hamline came right back with five runs in the bottom of the inning. The Eagles' Greg Gibson had a two-run single while Lance Poppy and Cory Poppitz each had a run-scoring base hit. Hamline's Andrew Bennett had a two-run home run in the bottom of first.

Darren O'Donnell had an RBI double to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead in the top of the second, but the Pipers scored three times in the bottom of the second and twice in the third for a 10-6 lead. Ben Smith had a two-run triple in the second inning.

UW-L cut the deficit to 10-9 with three runs in the top of the sixth as Gibson hit a solo home run and Gram a two-run home run. Hamline added to its lead with four runs in the sixth inning highlighted by Matt Held's two-run single. The Eagles' Schmidt hit a solo home run in the seventh for the final scoring of the game.

Peterson suffered the loss for UW-L, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing 12 hits, 10 runs (nine earned) and three walks with three strikeouts. Gibson finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBI while Gram was 1-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI. Schmidt also scored twice.

UW-L returns to action Monday, March 17 versus St. John's University (Minn.) in Chandler, Arizona.