Joseph Vanden Acker

Author: Joseph Vanden Acker

Butler sweeps doubleheader from Vikings

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Butler University baseball team swept a nonconference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Sunday by the scores of 11-0 and 14-3 at Bulldog Park.

In the opener, Jared Wagoner and Brian Padove combined on a three-hit shutout. Four Bulldogs picked up two hits apiece, and Luke Duncan Patrick Guinane both drove in three runs as Butler piled up 13 hits.

Butler (15-16) broke a scoreless tie with five runs in the bottom of the third and then pulled away with four runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth.

Freshman Brian King pitched the first four innings and took the loss.

In the nightcap, Butler jumped on the Vikings (2-21) with five runs in the first inning. The Bulldogs scored in every inning but the second and collected 13 hits.

Guinane, Aaron Eckhardt and Griffin Richeson had two hits apiece for Butler. Mike Hernandez pitched the first six innings to pick up the win.

Luke Barthelmess had two of Lawrence’s seven hits. The Vikings scored all three of their runs in the sixth as Eric Bohling, Gene Shipanik and Phil Wisniewski all drove in runs for Lawrence.

Chad Skaer pitched the first three innings and took the loss.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Butler shuts out Vikings

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Two pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the Butler University baseball team downed Lawrence University 7-0 in a nonconference game Saturday at Bulldog Park.

Dom Silvestri worked seven innings to pick up the win. He allowed three hits, struck out eight and walked two. Brad Schnitzer pitched two innings of hitless relief.

Robert Rashid went 2-for-3 with a double and was on base three times for the Vikings (2-19). Lawrence’s only other hit came from Alex Brewer.

Patrick Guinane went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs to power the attack for Butler (13-16). Grant Fillipitch was 3-for-5 and scored a pair of runs for the Bulldogs.

Butler did all its damage in the third and fourth innings. The Bulldogs broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the third and then scored four times in the fourth.

Andrew Wilt went the distance and took the loss for the Vikings.

Box score

Sunday’s softball schedule shuffled

The Lawrence University softball team saw its doubleheader on Saturday postponed at the University of Chicago. The Vikings have altered their schedule for Sunday.

Lawrence will now play Chicago in a single game at noon. The Vikings will then play Elmhurst College at 2 p.m. Both game will be at the University of Chicago’s Stagg Field.

Inside LU Athletics: Pechan striving to be the best

The average golfer would look at scores of 69 and 72 on the weekend and drop to his knees to praise the golf gods, but John Pechan is not your average player.

The Lawrence University freshman has quickly established himself as one of the Midwest Conference’s best golfers and really wasn’t pleased with his third-place finish at Ripon College Invitational on the Links Course at Lawsonia last weekend.

“I want to say I (played well) but I didn’t,” Pechan said. “I’m still not at the level I feel like I should be, but I’m progressing.”

If you think Pechan is being hard on himself, you’re right, but that’s only because he has some lofty aspirations for the remainder of the season.

“Winning the Midwest Conference is my biggest goal for the spring,” said Pechan, a native of the Seattle area. “That way I can get to nationals and take it from there.”

Pechan would like to join recent Lawrence players Jeff Henderson (2002) and All-American and Appleton native Joe Loehnis (2003) as individual conference champions.

Pechan also wants a trip to the NCAA Division III Championships, which has never happened for a Lawrence player. The last Lawrence golfers to play in the NCAA Championships were local legend Don Strutz, Carl Laumann and Dick Flicker, but that was back in 1949, well before the advent of Division III.

“John is such a great competitor,” Lawrence coach Kalle Larsson said. “You would want every Lawrence athlete to have that sort of competitive nature. His play on the course is a direct result of his work ethic and desire to be the best.”

Pechan’s achievements thus far this year are impressive. He won two of three events he played during the fall season, posting victories at the Ripon Fall Invitational at Mascoutin Golf Club and the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational at Washington County Golf Course.

Pechan carded a Lawrence record score of 64 on the second day of the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational, and it is believed that is the lowest score posted by a Division III player this season.

A good spring season, possibly coupled with a win at the MWC Championships, could mean a trip to the NCAAs. Before that happens, Pechan knows there is work to be done. He admits his strong suits are his accuracy and length off the tee, but he continues to work hard on his putting.

“I’m putting a lot of five-foot to 10-foot putts and being positive over the ball. If you don’t have confidence, you are not going to make the putt,” Pechan said. “That’s kind of what happened this weekend. Those are the times I do win tournaments, when my putting is on and I’m stroking it from that range.”

Friends of Jaclyn Day

The Lawrence softball team will take part in a Friends of Jaclyn Day when they play at the University of Chicago on Saturday.

The Vikings have “adopted” Emma Broeniman, a grade-schooler from Appleton who has a NF-1, a genetic disorder that causes brain tumors. Friends of Jaclyn is the organization that facilitated the relationship between Emma and the Vikings.

The University of Chicago also has adopted a child through Friends of Jaclyn, and the teams will raise some funds for the organization on Saturday. The teams played in 2010 in Appleton and had a Friends of Jaclyn Day at Whiting Field.

Taking on the big boys

The Lawrence baseball team faces its stiffest challenge of the season when it travels to Division I Butler University this weekend.

The Vikings are scheduled to play three games this weekend at Butler. It is the first meeting between the schools, and the first time Lawrence has played a NCAA Division I opponent since sweeping a doubleheader from Wisconsin in 1981.

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.

MSOE tops Lawrence

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Milwaukee School of Engineering baseball team collected 13 hits and went on to a 13-3 nonconference win over Lawrence University on Wednesday at Henry Aaron Field.

Wes Stasik went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Raiders (5-15), and Jacob Roberts was 2-for-4 and drove in four runs. Ben Hansen pitched five innings, allowing five hits, striking out three and walking four to earn the win.

Luke Barthelmess and Robert Rashid both had two hits to lead the Vikings (2-18). John Doran was the starter and took the loss. Doran pitched 1.2 innings, allowed five hits, walked five and struck out one.

The Vikings got on the board first by scoring three times in the top of the first. Barthelmess had a run-scoring single in the inning, and Davide Harris drove in another run with a ground out.

MSOE tied the game with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, with Roberts picking up a two-run single. The Raiders then took the lead with a pair of runs in the second, and Stasik had a RBI double in that inning.

Roberts had a two-run single in the fourth to give MSOE a 7-3 lead, and the Raiders pulled away with four more runs in the fifth. The big blow in the fifth was Derek Jordan’s two-run single. MSOE finished the scoring with two more runs in the sixth.

Vikings sweep doubleheader from North Central

The Lawrence University softball team pounded out 23 hits in the doubleheader and got two solid pitching performances to sweep a nonconference doubleheader from North Central (Minn.) University on Wednesday at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (10-11) won the opener 8-0 and took the nightcap 17-3.

In the opener, Emily Perish went 4-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in, and Carli Gurholt was 2-for-2 and blasted a two-run homer for the Vikings. Alissa Geipel and Brielle Bartes, both freshmen, both hit their first career homers in the first game.

Shannon Murray went the distance, allowing three hits, striking out seven and walking none, to pick up the win. Danielle Anderson went the distance and took the loss.

Lawrence jumped on the Rams (9-8) in the bottom of the first with four runs. Gurholt hit a two-run homer in the inning and Perish picked up a run-scoring single.

Bartes led off the fourth with a homer, and the Vikings added another run in the fifth to lead 6-0. Lawrence put the game away with two more runs in the sixth. Geipel led off the inning with a homer, and Perish delivered a run-scoring single to end the game.

In the nightcap, Cathy Kaye went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs to pace the Lawrence offense. Murray was 2-for-4, homered and drove in three runs, and Alex Chiodo and Cory Paquette both went 2-for-2.

Perish went the distance to pick up the win. She allowed six hits, struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. Bethany Bostrom gave up 12 hits, struck out one and walked four to take the loss.

After giving up two runs in the top of the first, the Vikings struck back with four in the bottom half of the inning. Perish had a two-run single in the inning, and Chiodo picked up a run-scoring double.

Lawrence led 5-2 when it scored three times in the third with two runs scoring on Kaye’s single.

The Vikings then sealed the win with nine runs in the fourth. Kaye smacked a two-run double inside the bag at third, and Murray blasted a three-run homer to complete the scoring.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when it travels to the University of Chicago.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Beloit takes two from Vikings

The Beloit College baseball team took a pair of Midwest Conference games from Lawrence University on Tuesday by the scores of 14-2 and 17-6 at Whiting Field.

Beloit (12-6, 4-0 MWC) hit five home runs in the doubleheader, including a grand slam.

Mike Kovach went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs to lead Beloit in the opener. Andrew Edwards went the distance, allowing seven hits, striking out two and walking two, to pick up the win.

The Bucs broke open a scoreless game by putting up five runs in the top of the third. The big blow in the inning was Kovach’s two-run homer.

Beloit led 6-0 when the Vikings (2-17, 0-4) got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Phil Wisniewski and Alex Brewer both had run-scoring singles in the inning to trim the lead to 6-2.

Beloit then scored three times in the fifth and sixth to break the game open. The Bucs scored two more times in the seventh when the game ended by the run rule.

Brian King pitched five innings, allowing 10 hits, walking five and striking out one, and took the loss.

In the nightcap, Lawrence took an early lead, but the Bucs scored 13 runs over a three-inning stretch to pull away. Kovach went 4-for-4, and Jordan Jaenicke and Jake Tresemer drove in four runs apiece for Beloit.

Beloit scored three times in the top of the first, but Lawrence led 4-3 after one inning. Davide Harris delivered a two-run single and Michael Baldino added a run-scoring single in the inning for the Vikings.

Both team scored a run in the second, and the Vikings increased their lead to 6-4 in the third on Chad Skaer’s sacrifice fly.

Beloit then scored five times in the fourth with Jaenicke hitting a grand slam that was just inside the left field foul pole to give the Bucs a 9-6 lead.

The Bucs increased that lead to 12-6 with three runs in the fifth. Beloit then put the game away five more runs in the sixth, and Tresemer belted a three-run homer in the inning.

Luke Barthelmess went 2-for-4 in the nightcap for the Vikings, and Harris drove in a pair of runs.

Dan Salzbrenner threw 3.2 innings of relief and took the loss. Aaron Bushur threw three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Vikings wrap up MWC Classic with win over Grinnell

JANESVILLE, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team jumped on Grinnell College early and rolled to a 9-2 victory over Grinnell College on Sunday in the final game of the Midwest Conference Classic.

Lawrence (8-11, 3-4 MWC) finished with a 3-2 record against South Division opponents at the Classic.

Alissa Geipel went 3-for-5 with four runs scored and three runs batted in to pace the Lawrence offense. Shannon Murray, Alex Chiodo and Brielle Bartes all had two hits apiece for the Vikings.

Emily Perish went the distance, striking out two and walking one, to earn the victory.

Brianna Gallo went 4-for-4 to lead Grinnell (0-21, 0-5).

The Vikings led 1-0 after Murray’s RBI double in the first and then added four runs in the second. Geipel had a two-run single in the inning, and Cathy Kaye and Carli Gurholt added run-scoring singles.

The Vikings added single runs in the third and fourth and picked up two runs in the fifth. Geipel had a RBI double in the fifth, and Cory Paquette picked up a run-scoring single in that inning to complete the scoring.

Amanda Stromquist allowed 15 hits over seven innings and took the loss for Grinnell.

Box score

Monmouth downs Vikings

JANESVILLE, Wis. — The Monmouth College softball team scored three times in the bottom of the fifth to break a tie and went on to a 7-4 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Sunday at the Midwest Conference Classic.

The Scots (11-8, 6-0 MWC) broke a 3-3 tie with three unearned runs in the fifth. A two-out error allowed the first run to score in the inning, and Monmouth added two more runs on a wild pitch and a single.

Five Monmouth players had two hits apiece, including Caitlin Lingle, who was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Emily Perish and Katie Simonsen had two hits apiece for the Vikings (7-11, 2-4).

Lawrence trailed 3-0, but the Vikings got a run in the fourth on Perish’s RBI single to trim the lead to 3-1. Lawrence then tied the game in the fifth when Cathy Kaye and Alissa Geipel both delivered run-scoring singles.

After Monmouth took the 6-3 lead, Lawrence countered with a run in the sixth on Simonsen’s run-scoring ground out. Monmouth countered with a run of its own in the bottom of the sixth, and the Vikings went down in order in the seventh.

Shannon Murray went the distance and took the loss for Lawrence. Morgan Werkheiser picked up the win in relief.

Box score

Carr to lead Lawrence women’s basketball program

Tara Carr

Tara Carr is the new head women’s basketball coach at Lawrence University.

Carr’s hiring was announced today by Director of Athletics Mike Szkodzinski.

“We are excited to announce the appointment of Tara Carr as the head women’s basketball coach at Lawrence University,” Szkodzinski said. “We believe Tara will be able to draw upon her past collegiate playing and coaching experience to lead our ladies. Her professionalism and attention to detail will certainly allow her to take our program to the next level.”

Carr becomes the ninth coach of the Vikings, whose first season of competition was 1975-76.

“I’m truly excited to be named the new head women’s basketball coach at Lawrence University,” said Carr, a native of Hoosick Falls, N.Y. “I feel honored to be a part of the Lawrence athletic department. I look forward to working with the department’s administration, Mike Szkodzinski and Kim Tatro, along with support from Provost David Burrows.”

Carr brings a history of playing and coaching experience to the job at Lawrence.

A three-sport standout in basketball, softball and field hockey at Hoosick Falls Central High School, Carr earned all-conference honors in both basketball and field hockey and her softball squad won a New York state championship. Carr starred at the State University of New York College at Oneonta in both field hockey and basketball and was a basketball standout at the University at Albany.

Carr, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University, started her basketball coaching career at Ohio Northern University. She then served as the assistant basketball coach at Saginaw Valley State University. She coached with the Cardinals from 2001-04 and helped turn that program around.

Carr, who has a masters of business administration from Saginaw Valley State, comes to Lawrence after working outside of coaching in recent years. She has served as the campus director and adjunct instructor in business management and human resource management at the Beloit campus of Concordia University of Wisconsin since April 2007.

“My goal is to be a part of the Lawrence family for a long time,” said Carr, who relishes the opportunity to guide Lawrence’s student-athletes. “I look forward to working with the returning players. Lawrence provides student-athletes with an excellent education in a competitive environment. The impressive academic reputation, globally diverse student body and Appleton community complete the Lawrence experience.”

Lawrence has enjoyed a history of success, including three conference championships and a NCAA Division III Tournament appearance, in its 35 seasons of women’s basketball. The Vikings have posted 23 seasons of .500 or better, but Lawrence has struggled in recent campaigns.

“It is a personal goal of mine and a goal of our department to revitalize Lawrence women’s basketball,” Szkodzinski said. “There has been tremendous success in the not-so-distant past, and we will continue to work to regain our status as an elite program within the Midwest Conference.”

Lawrence returns nine players from this past season’s team and opens nonconference play in November.