For a brief moment Wednesday, UW-Platteville's Ross Bennett and the Pioneers had hopes of a huge comeback.
With the rallying Pioneers down 8-5 against UW-La Crosse and the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Bennett smashed a ball to deep right-center field. Instead of going for a grand-slam home run or a bases-clearing double, the ball hung in the air long enough for Eagles' centerfielder Andy Podmolik to run under it and make the catch. The sacrifice fly brought home a run, but also was the second out. Podmolik then raced in to catch Scott Dybevik's sinking line drive for the final out to complete the La Crosse sweep.
The Eagles won 3-1 and 8-6 in games played at the University of Dubuque.
UW-La Crosse's Matt Zurbriggen and the Pioneers' Ryan Slaght staged a great pitching duel in the opener. Zurbriggen allowed just five hits while recording his second straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference complete-game win. Slaght scattered nine hits and two earned runs while striking out eight batters over nine innings. Dusty Otto had an RBI single in the UW-L second, and the other runs came on a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. Bennett scored the lone Pioneer run in the seventh, scoring after the Eagles botched a relay throw from the outfield.
UW-L's Joe Bemis pitched six and one-third innings of no-hit ball in the second game, as the Eagles jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Mike Schmidt hit a two-run double in the first to get UW-L off quickly.
Bennett broke up the no-hit bid in the seventh inning with a double to right-center field and eventually scored on Mike Flood's single. The Eagles added three unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning before the Pioneers came out hitting in the ninth inning and making it an 8-6 game. UWP had four hits in the ninth and scored four times before the rally was cut short by Podmolik's catches.
The Eagles improved to 7-11 overall and 3-3 in the WIAC, while the Pioneers fell to 6-9, 0-5.
Podmolik paced the Eagle attack with four hits and three walks on the day, scoring three runs. Tony Peterson knocked in five runs overall.
Bennett, Jason Watson and Matt Huckstep all finished with two hits in the second game for the Pioneers.
UWP is back in action Saturday and Sunday with doubleheaders against UW-Superior. Those noon games will be played at Madison Area Technical College.
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