Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Dunn, Ray pace Vikings in singles competition at MWC Championships

MADISON, Wis. — Jason Dunn and Caleb Ray were the Lawrence University men’s tennis team’s top finishers on Saturday during the singles competition at the Midwest Conference Championships.

Both Dunn and Ray reached the semifinals of their respective flights before being eliminated at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

Dunn, playing No. 1 singles, defeated Derek Harrington of St. Norbert College 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Defending conference champion Juan Carlos Perez of Grinnell College then beat Dunn 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Ray, playing No. 2 singles, also picked up a win in the quarterfinals when he beat Seth Pamperin of Carroll University 7-5, 6-2. Monmouth College’s David Johnson then beat Rayn 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals.

At No. 3 singles, Max Zlevor won the first-round match before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. At No. 4 singles, Jeremy Andereck lost in the quarterfinals but won a consolation match before losing to St. Norbert’s Nick Acosta in the consolation final. Roy Wimer did not win a match at No. 5 singles, and Bile Ali won the first-round match before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The doubles competition takes place on Sunday.

  

Late rallies lead Carroll to doubleheader sweep of Vikings

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Carroll University baseball team got a pair of late rallies and defeated Lawrence University 7-6 and 7-3 in a Midwest Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Frame Park.

In the opener, Carroll scored a run with only a bunt single in the bottom of the ninth to win it.

Lawrence (2-31, 0-14 MWC) was down 6-2 when the Vikings rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth. A single, an error and a hit batsman loaded the bases when Alex Brewer delivered a two-run single to trim the lead to 6-4. Davide Harris later came up with another two-run single and Lawrence had tied the game at 6-6.

Carroll (11-20, 5-9) then got a walk, a bunt single and an intentional walk to load the bases when a hit batsman forced in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

Sam Mulkey went the distance to pick up the win, and Sam Ausloos took the loss in relief. Chad Skaer pitched the first seven innings for Lawrence and allowed only five hits and three earned runs.

In the nightcap, Lawrence grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third on Michael Baldino’s two-run double. Carroll tied the game with a run in the fourth, and the Pioneers took control with four runs in the seventh. Matt Busse and Drew Volkman both had two-run singles in the inning.

Brian King pitched the first seven innings and took the loss for the Vikings. Jason Pattengale pitched five innings of two-hit relief to pick up the win.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Softball star Perish chosen for Academic All-District squad

Lawrence University softball standout Emily Perish has been chosen for the Capital One Academic All-District 5 team.

Perish (Frankfort, Ill./Providence Catholic) was a third-team selection on the squad, which was voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America. A junior infielder/pitcher, Perish sports a 3.79 grade point average and is majoring in religious studies and government.

Also an Academic All-Midwest Conference selection, Perish hit .354 on the season with three doubles and 18 runs batted in. She also put together a 6-6 record on the mound with a 4.17 earned run average. Perish struck out 32 and walked 27 in 80.2 innings.

A member of the Dean’s List at Lawrence, Perish also served as a team captain in 2011. Perish also has been deeply involved with the Friends of Jaclyn and Emma Broeniman, the Appleton girl that was “adopted” by the team.

Perish, who has served as a tutor for Japanese students from Wadaeda University that are attending Lawrence, also completed an independent study project on Shari’ah Law and its effects on women in the Arabian Peninsula and Saudi Arabia.

Green Knights take two from Lawrence

DE PERE, Wis. — The St. Norbert College baseball team swept a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Wednesday by the scores of 15-1 and 8-7 at Mel Nicks Field.

In the opener, St. Norbert (14-13, 8-4 MWC) jumped on the Vikings (2-29, 0-12) with five runs in the first inning against starter John Doran. St. Norbert led 7-1 when it scored eight times in the bottom of the sixth to seal the victory.

Kevin Nutley went the distance, allowing only four hits, to pick up the win. St. Norbert collected 12 hits, with five players picking up two hits apiece.

In the nightcap, the Vikings built a 7-1 lead early only to see St. Norbert come back.

St. Norbert led 1-0 when the Vikings exploded for seven runs in the second inning against Green Knights starter Drew Tangney. The Vikings had only four hits in the inning but benefitted from two walks, a hit batsman and two errors.

Eric Bohling picked up a big two-run single in the inning, and Phil Wisniewski and Davide Harris both had run-scoring singles.

The Green Knights chipped away by scoring one run in the second, three in the fourth and two in the sixth to tie it at 7-7. Ryan Kehl’s RBI double in the seventh gave the Green Knights an 8-7 lead.

St. Norbert then got two innings of scoreless relief from Kyle Mahlik to preserve the win.

Both Bohling and Harris had two hits for the Vikings in the nightcap, and Matt Hannon went 3-for-4 to pace St. Norbert.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings set for MWC Championships

This is uncharted territory for the Lawrence University men’s tennis team.

All but the freshmen on this team are used to playing three days at the Midwest Conference Championships, set for Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison this weekend. For the first time since 2007, the Vikings failed to qualify for the four-team tournament that determines the top two finishers in the league.

That doesn’t mean that the Vikings don’t have a whole lot to play for when the singles and doubles are contested on Saturday and Sunday.

“We can still get third place in the conference,” Lawrence coach Kevin Girard said. “We can still end up in front of Carroll and St. Norbert so that keeps the guys pretty motivated.”

Lawrence finished third a season ago, and this was going to be a bit of rebuilding year after losing three starters, including top singles player and former league champion Ryan Dunn to graduation.

Dunn has been replaced by his younger brother, Jason, who moved up to No. 1 singles after playing No. 3 a season ago. Dunn put together a 9-9 singles record this season and is just starting to play his best tennis.

“Anytime you play No. 1 singles, you don’t ever get a day off,” Girard said. “Jay has been playing very well, very focused. He can beat anybody. He’s got tons of talent, and he’s starting to realize that as well.”

Girard said the key for Dunn will be his ground strokes if he wants to get a shot at Grinnell’s Juan Carlos Perez, the league’s defending champion.

“Jay’s return of service is probably the best in the conference,” Girard said. “If he’s hitting the ball well from the baseline, his opponent is in trouble. That’s what he’s been working on all season.”

The Vikings are also looking for big things from Caleb Ray, who won the consolation title at No. 2 singles last season. The sophomore from Austin, Texas, is 11-8 this season and is riding a five-match winning streak.

“This is the best I’ve seen Caleb play. Mentally, you’re not going to find anyone tougher on the court,” Girard said. “He’s super scrappy and super gritty. He pretty much ticks you off. He’s not fun to play against.”

Sophomore Max Zlevor moved from No. 5 singles to No. 3 this season and has managed only three wins, but Girard has a lot of confidence in the Racine native.

“Max has a ton of talent. He just has to get over that hump,” Girard said. “He has a ton of weapons and a ton of firepower. He just needs to string it together.”

Dunn wins POW

Dunn was named the MWC Player of the Week after going unbeaten in singles and doubles this past week. Dunn posted a 6-0 record, going 3-0 at No. 1 singles and 3-0 with Zlevor at No. 1 doubles. It was the first time in his career that he earned the weekly conference award.

Routing Ripon

The men’s tennis team beat Ripon 9-0 last Saturday, and that marked the third consecutive season the Vikings had shut out the Red Hawks. It’s also the first time in Lawrence history that the Vikings beat Ripon 9-0 three consecutive times.

Pechan takes second

Freshman golfer John Pechan finished second at the MWC Championships at Aldeen Golf Club this past weekend. Pechan carded rounds of 82, 75 and 78 on the par-72 layout to finish second by three shots. It was the highest finish for  Lawrence golfer since Appleton native Joe Loehnis tied for first in 2006 and lost a playoff for the title.

Fast company

The men’s 400-meter relay team took first place at the UW-Whitewater Invitational this past Saturday, marking the first time in recent memory that Lawrence has won that event at a large invitational. The time of 46.84 seconds was posted by Sam Wagner, Jon Bruehl, Cam Blegen and Jesse Peterson.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a weekly notes package written by Lawrence University Sports Information Director Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Dunn named MWC Player of the Week

Lawrence University men’s tennis standout Jason Dunn has been named the Midwest Conference Player of the Week.

Dunn (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac), a sophomore, posted a perfect record on the week in both singles and doubles to lead the Vikings to victories in two of three dual matches.

Dunn started his week with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles against Illinois College last Friday and teamed with Max Zlevor (Racine, Wis./Prairie) for an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles. Lawrence defeated the Blueboys 9-0.

In a 9-0 victory over Ripon College last Saturday, Dunn recorded a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 1 singles and rolled to an 8-2 victory at No. 1 doubles. Lawrence defeated the rival Red Hawks 9-0 for the third consecutive season.

In a 5-4 loss to St. Norbert College on Sunday, Dunn won 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) at No. 1 singles and picked up an 8-5 victory at No. 1 doubles.

Dunn, who will play in the Midwest Conference championships this weekend, improved to 9-9 in singles and 8-11 in doubles.

Red Hawks edge Lawrence in pair of games

RIPON, Wis. — The Ripon College softball team hung on for a pair of Midwest Conference wins Monday over Lawrence University by the scores of 3-2 and 4-3.

The losses end the season for the Vikings (13-16, 6-7 MWC), who needed two wins to qualify for the Midwest Conference Tournament.

Lawrence grabbed the lead at the outset of the first game when Cathy Kaye led off the contest with a home run for a 1-0 edge.

Ripon (21-7, 10-3) made the most of its four hits against Lawrence starter Shannon Murray. The Red Hawks got run-scoring hits in the second and third and scored what proved to be the game-winning run on a squeeze bunt in the fifth.

Lawrence cut the lead to 3-2 in the seventh when Emily Perish doubled and scored on Alex Chiodo’s single. Kaye then flied out to end the game.

Stephanie Rieuwpassa went the distance to get the win. She allowed five hits, struck out eight and walked one. Murray took the loss despite allowing only two earned runs.

In the nightcap, Ripon jumped on Perish and scored three times despite hitting only one ball out of the infield.

Ripon led 4-0 when Kaye blasted a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the lead in half. The Vikings then trimmed the margin to 4-3 in the sixth when Chiodo delivered a run-scoring double.

That’s as close as the Vikings would get as Rieuwpassa came on in relief in the seventh and retired the side in order to pick up the save.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Ripon takes two from Vikings

The Ripon College baseball team posted a Midwest Conference doubleheader sweep from Lawrence University on Sunday by the scores of 10-7 and 20-1 at Whiting Field.

In the opener, Ripon (15-14, 9-3 MWC) scored four times in the top of the ninth and then had to hold off a Lawrence (2-27, 0-10)  rally in the bottom half of the inning.

Zach Bayreuther went 3-for-3 for Ripon, and John Henrickson, Kyle Boszuel, Aaron Kastner, David Forseth and Nick Hughes all had two hits.

Alex Brewer went 4-for-4, and Luke Barthelmess, Michael Baldino, Eric Bohling and Phil Wisniewski all had two hits for the Vikings. Sam Kossow drove in three runs for the Vikings.

Bob Bruce went six innings and picked up the win. Brian King pitched eight innings and took the loss for Lawrence.

After Ripon took a 10-4 lead in the top of the ninth, Wisniewski delivered a run-scoring double to cut the lead to 10-5. A Kossow sacrifice fly trimmed the lead to 10-6, and Marc Linger then singled to drive in another run to cut the lead to 10-7. The Vikings then loaded the bases, but T.J. Pierce got Robert Rashid to fly out to end the game.

In the nightcap, Ripon piled up 19 hits and got a complete game from Steven Blader. Blader allowed four hits, struck out 10 and walked one.

Bosquez went 5-for-5 and drove in three runs for Ripon. Nick Beaman had three hits and drove in five runs, and Dave McFarland had a pair of hits and four runs batted in.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Green Knights edge Vikings 5-4

The St. Norbert College men’s tennis team won four of the six singles matches to pull out a 5-4 Midwest Conference victory on Sunday at the Lawrence Courts.

Lawrence led 2-1 after the doubles competition as Jason Dunn and Max Zlevor won at No. 1 and Roy Wimer and Bile Ali won at No. 3. The Vikings also took the top two singles matches, with Dunn winning at No. 1 and Caleb Ray rallying for a victory at No. 2. But St. Norbert swept the Nos. 3-6 singles to win the match.

Box score

Lawrence sweeps doubleheader from Pioneers

The Lawrence University softball team swept a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Carroll University in dramatic fashion on Sunday by the scores of 5-4 and 3-2.

Lawrence (13-4, 6-5 MWC) won the opener with a run in the bottom of the ninth and took the nightcap with a run in the bottom of the eighth.

Cathy Kaye and Alissa Geipel both went 3-for-5 in the opener, and Shannon Murray went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs. Murray also went the distance to pick up the win. She struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.

Lawrence trailed 4-1 after the Pioneers scored three times in the top of the fifth, but the Vikings rallied in the bottom half of the inning. Kaye started the rally with a two-out single, and Geipel then singled sharply off pitcher Christine Roggeman. As Kaye swiped third, Roggeman’s throw got past Rebecca Menelle at third and Kaye scored.

Carli Gurholt was then hit by a pitch and stole second. Murray followed with a two-run single to right to tie the game at 4-4.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth. Kaye led off with a triple that deflected off Nicole Leden’s glove in rightcenter field. Geipel then hit a rocket past Menelle at third and Kaye scored the winning run.

In the nightcap, the Vikings got some more late-inning heroics to win it.

Lawrence grabbed a 2-0 lead with single runs in the second and third. Gaelen Lombard-Knapp had a run-scoring double in the second, and Gurholt had a RBI groundout  in the third.

The Pioneers (13-18, 5-8) tied it with two runs in the sixth inning as Amanda Strutz and Leden both delivered run-scoring doubles. Carroll escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, and Lawrence left runners in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh.

Lawrence ended it in the bottom of the eighth, and Perish started the inning with a line drive single up the middle. A fielding error on a sacrifice bunt put runners at first and second, and another sacrifice bunt moved them to second and third. Alex Chiodo then singled on a 1-2 pitch to leftcenter to drive home Perish with the winning run.

Chiodo, Lombard-Knapp and Kaye all collected two hits in the nightcap for the Vikings.

Perish, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth, went the distance to pick up the win. She allowed only four hits, struck out four and walked one.

Lawrence returns to action on Monday when it travels to Ripon College to wrap up the regular season.

Game one box score

Game two box score