Stevens Point and Whitewater split weekend series

STEVENS POINT, Wisc. – There are games that teams point to on the schedule and this weekend was one of them.  There is no "one game at a time", "every game counts the same" when UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point meet in baseball.  Here's what sets this rivalry apart.  UW-Whitewater has won nine of the last eleven WIAC championships.  Stevens Point has won seven of the last eleven WIAC Tournament titles.  In the last eleven years both teams have earned NCAA III tournament berths seven times.

Bryan Clark had three of UW-Stevens Point's RBIs in the final game in the four game series. UW-Stevens Point photo by Mark Winslow

On Sunday UW-Stevens Point used the arm of Cody Koback in game one and the bat of Bryan Clark in game two to take two games from the seventh-ranked Warhakws of UW-Whitewater Sunday afternoon, recording 8-1 and 11-7 victories, splitting the four game weekend series.

In game one, both sides were held scoreless through the first five and a half innings before the Pointers could plate the first run of the ballgame. Dan Douglas reached on a one out single and Koback doubled to deep right center field. Justin Jirschele then came through with a two out, two RBI single up the middle to give Point a 2-0 lead.

UW-Whitewater took one run back in the top half of the sixth inning when Dylan Friend drove in Jeff Donovan after he reached on a double to lead off the inning. This would be it for the Warhawks as Ryan Iverson shut down the Warhawks in the final three innings to give the Pointers an 8-1 victory in game one.

Koback started the game and went six strong innings allowing one run on three hits to improve his record to 2-1 on the season. Iverson was credited with his sixth save of the season as he went three innings. Justin Lambert (2-1) suffered the loss for UW-Whitewater.

The Pointer offense was also led by Koback who had a triple, double and a steal and Jared Surman tallied three hits while scoring two runs. Jirschele and Eric Fritz had three and two RBI respectively.

In the second game, UW-Whitewater jumped out to an early lead as they scored two runs in the top half of the first inning before the Pointers stepped up to the plate.

The Pointers plated three runs in the bottom half of the inning taking advantage of a Warhawks’ error to claim the lead at 3-2. Koback and Sean Gerber each drove in runs with singles.

Riley Tincher was a winner on Saturday for the Warhawks. UW-Whitewater sports information

UW-Whitewater answered back in the next half inning again scoring two runs and chasing Pointer’s starter Cam Seidl.

Douglas tied the game up at four in the bottom half of the inning as he grounded out to first base and Bryan Clark scored after led off the inning with a double to left center.

UW-Stevens Point reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the third inning when Kevin Thomas flied out to centerfield scoring Jirschele and put the Pointers on top 5-4 after three innings of play.

In the bottom half of the fifth the Pointers were able to gain some insurance runs as Jirschele and Thomas both walked, setting the stage for Clark. With two outs he took the Tom Kerndt offering and drove it over the left field fence for a three-run home run, his first of the year.

The Warhawks managed to bring the deficit back to two when then plated two runs on a pinch hit single by Jared Fon in their half of the seventh inning. Whitewater had the bases loaded in the inning but Zach Wendorf forced a groundout to end the threat.

The Pointers put the game away in the bottom of the eighth inning as Douglas, Fritz and Koback all had run scoring hits. Koback capped off the inning with a triple to deep centerfield, his fifth triple of the year, tying the single-season record.

Iverson came in for the second time in as many games to close out the game in the ninth to preserve the 11-7 doubleheader sweep for Point.

Tyler Flood (1-0) picked up his first career victory as he went four and two thirds innings allowing one run on five hits. Kyle Lee (2-1) suffered the loss as he allowed four runs in an inning and two thirds. Daniel Putnam finished the game four-for-five and scored two runs for the Warhawks.

Douglas, Koback, Jirschele and Clark each had two hits for the Pointers and Clark led the team with three RBI. UW-Whitewater rightfielder Daniel Putnam led both teams with a 4-for-5 game, scoring twice.

The story was different on Saturday as it was UW-Whitewater who carried the brooms. The Warhawks swept a doubleheader from the Pointers, winning 5-3 and 6-2 at University Field in Stevens Point.

The Pointers put a three spot up in their first at bat.  UW-Stevens Point started the inning with two singles.  Whitewater gave UW-Stevens Point a hand, committing three errors before the Pointers got their third, and final, hit of the inning.

The Warhawks grabbed the lead in the fifth.  David Cladis singled to open the inning, followed by a single off the bat of Daniel Putnam.  Cladis and Putnam moved up on a double steal, giving Putnam a team high eleven thefts.  Andrew Eichstaedt walked to load the bases.  Senior catcher Rob Coe knocked in two runs with a single. Jeff Donovan  brought in the third run with a single and advanced to second on an error with Coe moving to third.  Ryan Leavitt scored Coe with the game winning single.  All of the action took place with no outs in the inning, and Whitewater led 4-3.

The final scoring of the game came in the eighth, with Dylan Friend leading off with a double.  Cladis pushed him to third with a single, and Friend came home on a fielder's choice.

UW-Whitewater lefty Riley Tincher weathered the first inning storm, allowing no runs on four hits the rest of the way.  Tincher, who wasn't charged with any earned runs, walked none and struck out two to raise his record to 4-1. 

UW-Whitewater's Daniel Putman is batting .520 through 17 games in 2011. UW-Whitewater sports information

Putnam, again, led the Warhawk offense with a 4-for-5 game.  Donovan and Cladis each collected a pair of hits.  Center fielder Cody Koback went 3-for-4 for the Pointers, with Scott Williams, 3-2, going the distance on the hill.

In Saturday's second game, it was the Warhawks that jumped on the board first as Jeff Donovan plated David Cladis on a sacrifice fly in the third.

UW-Whitewater broke the game open in the seventh as they poured on five more runs capped off with a three-run home run by Donovan.

Point fought back in the bottom half of the inning as they plated two more runs to bring the game to 6-2 but could not push any more runs across resulting in the doubleheader sweep.

Sean Gerber and Douglas each added RBI for the Pointers. Joel Delorit (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season as he gave up six runs in six and two thirds innings.

Donovan pushed his record to 5-0 on the season, allowing two runs in the complete game effort.