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| Jacob Bandy forces out a Blue Devil |
UW-Stout clinched its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff berth since 1999 by beating UW-Platteville 14-2 and 11-9 Friday at Kendall Murray Field.
The Blue Devils, who mathematically eliminated the Pioneers, will join UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater in next weekend's tournament in Wisconsin Rapids.
Ryan Stace's two-run home run with two outs in the top of the ninth snuck just inside the left-field foul pole, breaking a 9-9 tie. The Pioneers put two on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Matt Doornink induced a pop-out to end the game.
UW-Stout is now 20-17 overall and 11-11 in the WIAC, while the Pioneers are 15-21-2, 7-13-1. The same teams meet again in Platteville Saturday at noon.
Scott Dybevik and Jason Jacobson each hit home runs and had three hits in the second game for the Pioneers, who had 14 hits. Jerod Haxton had four hits, including a bases-loaded double in the fourth inning that scored all three runners.
The Blue Devils scored 11 of their 14 runs in the final three innings in the first game. Erik Johnson hit a two-run home run home run in the seventh and a grand-slam HR in the eighth, while pitcher Rob Heller limited the Pioneers to three hits and improved to 6-0 on the year.
Between games Saturday, the Pioneers will salute Dybevik, their lone senior who has had 31 hits in his last 14 games.
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