Nick Pepper and his fellow UW-Platteville classmates had a baseball Senior Day they will not soon forget.
Pepper played all nine positions in the Pioneers' 9-8 10-inning victory over Rockford College Saturday, completing a season-ending sweep. UW-Platteville beat the Regents 6-3 in the opener, played at the University of Dubuque.
Pepper, from Sterling, Ill., is believed to be the first player in school history to play every spot in one game. He earned his first-ever collegiate pitching win when Matt Huckstep singled home Mike Luchterhand in the bottom of the 10th inning.
All five seniors contributed greatly to the sweep, which gave the Pioneers a 19-19 record. Coupled with last year's 22-21 mark, the Pioneers strung together back-to-back seasons of .500 or better for the first time since 1992-93.
Senior Jason Watson (Boscobel) stole two bases in the opener and tied for second place on the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-time list. Watson finished his career with 80 steals. He hurt his own chances to stay on base and make a run at the record of 82, but Watson and the Pioneers will gladly take the other result. Watson homered in both games, including a two-run shot in the opener for a 4-1 lead, and a two-run homer in the sixth inning of the nightcap.
Coach Jamie Sailors started senior pitchers Ryan Slaght and Bryan Aspenson in the two games. Slaght (Baraboo) pitched a complete-game win in the opener, striking out six. He improved his season record to 5-2 with the win. Aspenson (Gays Mills/Seneca) pitched into the seventh inning of the nightcap, until the Regents rallied with four runs after two were out, cutting a Pioneer lead to 8-7. Aspenson was still on track for the win and Pepper the save until a defensive miscue in the outfield allowed an unearned Rockford run in the ninth.
Luchterhand led off the 10th with a single, and moved to second on Gabe Neitzel's sacrifice bunt. After Watson was hit by a pitch, Huckstep laced a single to center, and Luchterhand scored without a throw home.
Huckstep had five hits and drove in six runs on the day, with a double and two triples.
Brandon Ihm (Belleville, WI), another senior playing in his last games, had three hits for the afternoon and a pair of walks.
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