BB: WIAC: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

badgerwarhawk · May 08, 2013, 08:53:54 PM

LaCrosse sweeps Stout to secure the fourth seed in the conference tournament.

WHITEWATER: 8
Platteville: 5

The WARHAWKS jumped out in front 2-0 on Jared Fon's solo home run and a RBI double by Steve Bartlein in the first inning. Platteville answered and took a 3-2 lead in the second inning with two walks, a double and a pair of singles. Three consecutive singles gave the Pioneers another run in the third increasing their lead to 4-2. The WARHAWKS closed the gap to 4-3 when Marty Herum hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third and tied the score 4-4 an inning later when JT Schneider hit into a fielder's choice ground out and retook the lead 5-4 when another run scored in the bottom of the fifth. The WARHAWKS added another run in sixth on Mike Mierow's sacrifice fly and two more runs in the eighth on RBI singles from Mierow and Fon. Platteville scored the final run of the game in the ninth on a wild pitch.

Matt Roberts (6-0) was credited with the win allowing 8 hits, 4 earned runs with 7 strikeouts and 4 walks in 6 innings. Curtis Morgan pitched 2 innings with 1 hit, 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Cody Steed pitched the final inning allowing 1 earned run on 1 hit with 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Bill Oppriecht took the loss for the Pioneers.

Herum led the WARHAWKS going 4x4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Fon, David Cladis and Sam Keller each had 2 hits. Mierow and Fon each had 2 RBIs.

WARHAWKS: 4
Platteville: 2

Platteville took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning when after two were out 2 batters were hit by pitches, the third singled and a base on balls forced a run across the plate. It took to the fourth inning for the WARHAWKS to match that run when after Mikole Pierce doubled Steve Bartlein drove him in with a single. Platteville retook the lead 2-1 with a run in the sixth but the WARHAWKS answered that in the bottom of inning when Casey Power hit an RBI single to tie the game and JT Schneider RBI single gave them the lead 3-2. The WARHAWKS added an insurance run in the seventh when Marty Herum tripled in a run. Platteville threatened with two runners on base with one out in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but were unable to score in either opportunity.

Dylan Friend, Herum, Pierce, JT Schneider and Power all had 2 hits to lead the WARHAWKS.

Tom Kerndt (7-1) got the win allowing 3 hits, 2 earned runs with 3 strikeouts though he struggled at times walking 4 and 3 hit batters. Quintin Zander pitched 2 innings allowing a single hit and striking out 2 but also walked 3 batters. Scott Plaza pitched the final inning allowing 1 hit and striking out the side. Adam Theis was the losing pitcher for the Pioneers.

ShineTime · May 08, 2013, 10:48:57 PM

Congrats to both point and whitewater for playing real consistent ball so far. I'll be the first to admit I didn't see point going 32 and 8 and also didn't see whitewater losing only 2 games in the Wiac. I doubt it will happen but hoping point gets shipped to Illinois regional. Hopefully a Wiac team will make it to appleton but I'm sure st Thomas will be a tough out. Any predictions on all conference? It's going to be real tough this year lots of great players including several that may get all America in my opinion. Where does Ryan Schilter rank among best defensive catchers in Wiac history?

cubs · May 09, 2013, 12:28:28 AM

Quote from: ShineTime on May 08, 2013, 10:48:57 PM
Congrats to both point and whitewater for playing real consistent ball so far. I'll be the first to admit I didn't see point going 32 and 8 and also didn't see whitewater losing only 2 games in the Wiac. I doubt it will happen but hoping point gets shipped to Illinois regional. Hopefully a Wiac team will make it to appleton but I'm sure st Thomas will be a tough out. Any predictions on all conference? It's going to be real tough this year lots of great players including several that may get all America in my opinion. Where does Ryan Schilter rank among best defensive catchers in Wiac history?

I was in Point each of the past two Wednesday's. Not going to go into much detail, but I will say I think you are exaggerating a bit. Point pitchers were charged with a couple of wild pitches today that were VERY blockable.

When it comes to defensive catchers, I would put Casey Kopitzke at the top of the list... He did it all behind the dish!!!

cubs · May 11, 2013, 01:06:13 PM

La Crosse knocks off Whitewater in the opening game of the WIAC Tournament this morning 6-0. La Crosse scores three runs in the Top of the 8th inning to open things up a bit and tacks on two insurance runs in the 9th inning after taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

UWL's Tim Verthein was DOMINANT on the mound going the distance for a complete game shutout. He gave up just two hits, while walking two and striking out seven.

UWL had eight out of nine starters with at least one hit on the day.

Even with the loss, I wouldn't be surprised to see Whitewater come back and win four straight and win the WIAC Tournament. In my opinion they have the pitching to do it, although it will be a tough task!!!

cubs · May 11, 2013, 04:26:56 PM

For the third time in a little over a week, Oshkosh puts up a crooked number in the first inning against Stevens Point only to see the Pointers erase the deficit.

UWO takes a 4-0 lead highlighted by Bobby Kachel's three run HR, his 11th of the season. The Pointers chipped away at the lead, but in my opinion the turning point came in the 6th inning with UWO up to bat. The Titans had 1st and 2nd with 0 outs, and had Tyler Kamps move runners up with a SAC bunt. UWO fails to plate a run however after a foul out and a ground ball ended the inning. Point took the momentum and scored six runs in the bottom half to take a 9-6 advantage and held on for a 10-8 victory.

UWSP's Dan Douglas has his 25 game winning streak snapped in the victory for the Pointers.

ShineTime · May 11, 2013, 05:31:13 PM

Does anyone else believe whitewater may be dogging it a little just to have their arms ready for regionals? What do they really have to play for? Kind of reminds me of d1 college basketball where half of the top teams could care less about conference tournament. La crosse has to feel good with effertz going tonight although point just beat him last week. I was shocked to see herbst go an inning does that mean he's not going tonight?

ShineTime · May 11, 2013, 05:37:02 PM

Here's my early Christmas wish list Swift Polcyn effertz and pavolich all transfer to point and help bring point a World Series next year. Does anyone else think if Oshkosh even had let's say whitewaters pitching staff they'd make the World Series? They can hit anyone it seems.

cubs · May 11, 2013, 05:54:59 PM

Quote from: ShineTime on May 11, 2013, 05:37:02 PM
Here's my early Christmas wish list Swift Polcyn effertz and pavolich all transfer to point and help bring point a World Series next year. Does anyone else think if Oshkosh even had let's say whitewaters pitching staff they'd make the World Series? They can hit anyone it seems.

They still struggle defensively.... Not too often you see a team at the World Series who finished dead last in their conference in Fielding %.

cubs · May 11, 2013, 07:20:55 PM

Quote from: ShineTime on May 11, 2013, 05:31:13 PM
Does anyone else believe whitewater may be dogging it a little just to have their arms ready for regionals? What do they really have to play for? Kind of reminds me of d1 college basketball where half of the top teams could care less about conference tournament. La crosse has to feel good with effertz going tonight although point just beat him last week. I was shocked to see herbst go an inning does that mean he's not going tonight?

They threw their top guys so there is no way I would even think they are "dogging it." If that was the case, I doubt the offense would have scored 12 unanswered after falling behind 8-0 to take a 12-8 lead.

Anyway, by saying they are dogging it, it really takes away from just how well Verthein pitched!!!!

badgerwarhawk · May 12, 2013, 06:54:19 PM

There's no way in god's earth that we were dogging it. We just lost the #1 seed. We picked a pretty bad time to go into a funk. Time for a come to Jesus meeting in the locker room. Hopefully we can get our heads straight this week and play better next week. One thing is for certain. If we play like we did this weekend it going to be a very short regional for us.

ShineTime · May 12, 2013, 08:12:04 PM

Sad to say I feel bad for lacrosse they really played well and would've been great to have 3 Wiac teams in although I don't feel the Wiac would've deserved 3 considering the body of work over season. Obviously I want point in appleton but as long as its a Wiac team and not st Thomas ill live.

AppletonRocks · May 13, 2013, 10:43:20 PM

Is Oshkosh ever going to win the WIAC again?

ShineTime · May 14, 2013, 07:03:20 AM

They had the offense to win it this year that's for sure. The Wiac is a tough conference to win at this point as whitewater and point have shown they can continuously replace great players and put a solid team on the field every year. Other than la crosse last year and their magical season it's been a two team race for the most part the past 10 years.

AppletonRocks · May 14, 2013, 02:07:26 PM

Talk about losing the lead. For the prior 10 years Oshkosh ruled. What changed? Yes I am an alum. And I was there when they won 2 titles. I did not play, not even close to good enough to be on those teams.

BigPoppa · May 14, 2013, 02:20:15 PM

Quote from: AppletonRocks on May 14, 2013, 02:07:26 PM
Talk about losing the lead. For the prior 10 years Oshkosh ruled. What changed? Yes I am an alum. And I was there when they won 2 titles. I did not play, not even close to good enough to be on those teams.

Interesting note is that both Carthage and Oshkosh started to slide a bit at the same time(early 2000s). Their rosters were full of players from the Fox Valley area (including Appleton). Around that time, both Point and Whitewater started to expand their recruiting into the Fox Valley which drastically hurt both Carthage and Oshkosh as it provided two more national powers chasing the same top kids. Carthage has shied away from the Valley almost completely and now focuses most of its recruiting on the Chicago suburbs. In the 90s, both of those programs had that talent funneling into their rosters year after year and World Series appearances followed. It just seems like too much of a coincidence for this to not be related in any way.

As I write this, I know that Carthage was in the World Series in 2002, 2007 and 2009, but they have really taken a dip in the past few seasons. The Titans have not been there since 2003.