Sunday’s Midwest Conference baseball doubleheader between Lawrence University and Beloit College has been postponed due to the stormy weather in the Appleton area. The doubleheader has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 12, at Whiting Field.
Category: Baseball
Beloit takes pair from Vikings
BELOIT, Wis. — The Beloit College baseball team took a pair of close games from Lawrence University on Saturday in the opening Midwest Conference doubleheader of the season.
The Bucs (10-6, 2-0 MWC) took the opener 4-1 and picked up a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.
In the opener, Alex Norman and Andrew Wilt locked up in a pitcher’s duel. Norman allowed only five hits while striking out four and walking two to earn the win. Wilt allowed 10 hits, struck out one and walked three.
Beloit took a 1-0 lead in the third and got a big two-run triple from Mike Ross in the sixth to build a 3-0 lead. Beloit added another run in the seventh.
Lawrence (2-15, 0-2) broke up the shutout in the eighth when Phil Wisniewski doubled and later scored on Luke Barthelmess’ sacrifice fly. Wisniewski went 2-for-3 to pace the Vikings.
In the nightcap, Lawrence limited the Bucs to only five hits, but Beloit took advantage of four errors, four walks and four hit batsman.
Lawrence took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third when Michael Baldino and Barthelmess singled and both scored on an outfield error.
The Bucs tied it in the bottom half of the inning when a walk and hit batsman put a pair of runners aboard. Jake Tresemer then delivered a two-run double to tie the game at 2-2.
Beloit added a run in the third and then scored two more times in the sixth without a hit. A walk, two errors and two hits batsmen helped give Beloit a 5-2 lead.
Lawrence trimmed the lead to 5-3 when Wisniewski singled, moved to third on Sam Kossow’s single and scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Vikings had runners at second and third in the ninth, but Baldino struck out and Barthelmess flied out to end the game.
Mike Kovach pitched seven innings to get the win, and Aaron Bushur picked up the save. Chad Skaer went 5.2 innings and took the loss.
Beloit travels to Lawrence on Sunday to finish the four-game series.
Monmouth hangs on to take pair from Vikings
ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Monmouth College baseball team held off Lawrence University in the nightcap of a nonconference doubleheader on Tuesday and posted a pair of wins over the Vikings at Road Ranger Stadium.
Monmouth won the opener 10-4 and took the nightcap 7-6.
In the opener, Monmouth (11-6) scored seven times in the second with the benefit of only one hit to take control. The Scots used five walks, a hit batsman and an error to put together the big inning.
Matt Van Dusen and Ross Donnan had two hits apiece for Monmouth in the opener, and Donnan drove in a pair of runs.
The Scots managed only seven hits in the first game, but Lawrence starter John Doran walked six in three innings. Chad Skaer tossed four innings of one-hit relief for the Vikings (2-13).
Robert Rashid and Phil Wisniewski had two hits apiece for the Vikings, and Michael Baldino drove in a pair of runs.
In the nightcap, Monmouth scored six times in the first against Lawrence starter Dan Salzbrenner. Brad Winkler’s two-run double was the key hit in the inning.
The Vikings chipped away at the lead with Rashid’s RBI double in the third and Rashid’s inside-the-park homer in the fifth.
The Scots led 7-2 after five, but Lawrence scored four times in the eighth. Alex Brewer picked up a RBI double, and Baldino had a two-run double to trim the lead to 7-6.
Lawrence had the bases loaded with one out, but Monmouth got out of the inning when Gabe Henriques flied out and Baldino was cut down at home trying to score on the play.
The Vikings had the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, but Brewer grounded out to end the contest.
Donnan went 4-for-4 in the nightcap, and Van Dusen was 2-for-4 for Monmouth. Rashid went 3-for-4 for the Vikings, and Baldino, Davide Harris and Marc Linger all had two hits apiece.
Matt Young pitched seven innings to get the win, and Salzbrenner took the loss.
Chicago takes pair from Vikings
CHICAGO, Ill. — The University of Chicago baseball team swept a nonconference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Sunday by the scores of 13-2 and 24-2 at J. Kyle Anderson Field.
Chicago (8-5) broke open a close game in the opener with five runs in the fourth inning. The Maroons then added four more runs in the fifth to seal the win.
Stephen Williams, JR Lopez and Steven Schwabe hd three hits apiece for Maroons in the opener. Lopez also drove in four runs.
Lawrence (2-11) was limited to four hits in the first game. Gabe Henriques collected one of the hits, a two-run triple in the third inning that tied the game at 2-2.
Alex Terry went the distance to pick up the win. Eric Bohling pitched the first three innings and took the loss.
In the nightcap, Chicago pounded out 25 hits against four Lawrence pitchers. Lopez went 4-for-4 with six runs batted in, and Ben Bullock was 4-for-5.
Robert Rashid and Alex Brewer had two hits apiece for the Vikings.
Matt O’Connor pitched six innings to pick up the win. Brian King went 2.1 innings and took the loss.
Dramatic rally gives Vikings split with North Central
GRINNELL, Iowa — The Lawrence University baseball team put together a dramatic rally in the final inning Saturday and earned a split of a nonconference doubleheader with North Central (Minn.) University.
The games were played at Grinnell College due to unplayable field conditions in Appleton.
Lawrence rallied for sixth runs in the bottom of the seventh and took the nightcap 13-12. North Central won the opener 7-3.
The Vikings trailed 10-0 before they finally got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Richie Foreman had a run-scoring double and Phil Wisniewski added a run-scoring single in the inning.
Lawrence trimmed the lead to 12-7 with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Davide Harris, Eric Bohling and Foreman all had RBI singles in the inning.
Sam Kossow got the scoring started in the bottom of the seventh when he singled to drive in a run and cut the margin to 12-8. Wisniewski followed with a run-scoring double to make it 12-9.
Foreman’s sacrifice fly scored Kossow to cut it to 12-10. A walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases, and Gabe Henriques then singled to score Wisniewski.
Robert Rashid walked to force in pinch-runner Josh Graber and the game was tied 12-12. The Rams finally got an out on a force play at home, but Harris followed with a single to score Henriques with the game-winner.
Harris and Chad Skaer both had three hits to pace Lawrence’s 15-hit attack. Wisniewski and Foreman had two hits apiece and both drove in three runs.
Dan Salzbrenner pitched 3.2 innings of relief to earn his first collegiate victory. Ben Freitag took the loss in relief.
The Rams (4-8) scored four times in the top of the fifth to break open the first game. Juan Martinez, Joe Robinson, Isaac Gross and Jay Beichley all had two hits apiece for North Central, and Martinez and Beichley each drove in a pair of runs.
Rashid, Henriques and Alex Brewer all had two hits apiece for the Vikings (2-9).
Matt Huberty went the distance and picked up the win. Andrew Wilt pitched six innings, allowing 11 hits, and took the loss.
Lawrence led 2-1 after the first inning after singles by Rashid and Henriqes got the rally started. A balk and an error allowed Rashid to score, and Henriques came home on Gene Shipanik’s ground out.
North Central scored single runs in the second and third to take a 3-2 lead and then took control with four runs in the fifth. Kaleb Graham had a two-run single, and Ian Andrews and Jay Beichley both had run-scoring singles in the inning.
Lawrence added a run in its half of the fifth when Rashid doubled and scored on Henriques’ single but could get no closer.
Lawrence travels to the University of Chicago for a nonconference doubleheader on Sunday.
Big inning powers North Central past Vikings
GRINNELL, Iowa — A nine-run sixth inning led the North Central (Minn.) University baseball team to a 16-4 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Friday.
The game was played at Grinnell High School due to unplayable field conditions in Appleton.
Isaac Gross went 5-for-6 with a pair of runs batted in to pace North Central (3-7) and its 17-hit attack. Ian Andrews went 3-for-5 with three RBI, and Ben Freitag was 3-for-7 with three runs scored and three RBI.
Chad Skaer went 3-for-4 and Sam Kossow was 2-for-2 to pace the Vikings (1-8), who committed a season-high eight errors.
Lawrence led 2-1 after scoring twice in the bottom of the second. After Eric Bohling reached on an error and Davide Harris singled, Skaer singled to score Bohling. Harris later scored on an error and the Vikings were up 2-1.
The Rams took the lead back with three runs in the fourth, and the outburst was highlighted by Andrews’ two-run homer.
North Central led 5-2 when they put the game away with the big sixth inning. Freitag had a two-run double in the inning, and Andrews and Gross both added run-scoring doubles.
Lawrence finished out its scoring with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Gene Shipanik had a run-scoring single, and Darvis PridGeon drove in a run with a ground out.
John Doran pitched 5.2 innings, allowing 10 hits, and took the loss. Blake Balaam scattered four hits over seven innings and picked up the win.
The same two teams will play again Saturday in a doubleheader at Grinnell College.
Tickets on sale for NCAA Division III Baseball Championship
Tickets are now on sale for the 2011 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, which will be played at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on May 27-31.
The championship is hosted by Lawrence University and the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The early-bird ticket special runs through May 20. An all-session pass is available for $15, a savings of $18 off the regular price. The early-bird all-session pass can be purchased by contacting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ticket office at (920) 733-4152.
After May 20, the price of an all-session pass rises to $33 for adults and $20 for students and senior citizens. A daily pass is $11 for adults and $7 for students and senior citizens. A championship day ticket is $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.
The championship features a maximum of 15 games played over five days. Four games are played on each of the first two days, three games are played on the third day, two games on the fourth day and a maximum of two games on championship day.
Inside LU Athletics: Winter weather playing havoc with spring sports
It was like taking away the toys from the kids on Christmas morning.
Lawrence University track and field coach Jason Fast was all set to have his team do its first workout on newly renovated Whiting Field last week when the sleet and snow buried the blue track with a blanket of white.
“It was a pretty rough blow, not just to myself but to the whole team,” Fast said. “Everyone was pining to get out on the brand new track and run on it.”
The snowstorm that hit the Fox Valley last week has made the past few days difficult for the Lawrence track, baseball and softball teams. The Vikings have been forced to go back indoors to work out and schedules have been shuffled in an effort to get some games completed.
“It’s not the first time in my career that we’ve come back up north and haven’t been able to play,” said Lawrence baseball coach Jason Anderson, whose Vikings played eight games in Florida during spring break.
“Baseball is a game designed to play every day so you have to get playing. With Midwest Conference play coming up, we needed to get some games in.”
The Lawrence baseball team had been scheduled to play North Central (Minn.) University at Whiting Field on March 26 but those games were pushed back to Friday and Saturday. With the field still covered with snow, Anderson is taking his Vikings on the road to play some “home” games.
The Vikings are headed to Anderson’s hometown of Grinnell, Iowa, to play three games with North Central this weekend before heading to the University of Chicago for a doubleheader on Sunday.
Fast and softball coach Kim Tatro will not have to go quite that far to get some game competition.
The track team was scheduled to compete at the UW-Oshkosh Invitational on Saturday, but snow at Titan Stadium has moved that meet to Carroll University.
To prepare for that first outdoor competition, the Vikings got to work on Whiting Field. Track team members shoveled off 200 meters worth of three lanes and the high jump area on Monday and planned to clear the other 200 meters on Wednesday.
“The biggest thing was preparing for the outdoor season and keeping everyone on task. Whether we have a bunch of snow or not, the outdoor season is going to happen so we need to be ready,” Fast said.
“Seeing that devotion (shoveling the track) from the team shows we are ready to go outdoors and excited to get competing.”
The softball team has seen one doubleheader pushed back and will attempt to play at Marian University on Thursday. Lawrence is headed south to Beloit College, where there is virtually no snow, to play on Saturday. The Vikings are scheduled to play their home opener on April 6 against St. Norbert College.
The baseball team also used shovels to clear off as much of the Whiting Field infield as possible.
“The biggest issue we have on our field is the wind is crazy so we have a lot of drifting,” said Anderson, noting that there are drifts several feet high near the backstop. “That’s too much for us to move and it takes a lot longer to melt.”
Anderson’s goal is to play his first home game on April 10 when the Vikings open conference play with Beloit.
“The goal is to be able to play our conference home opener next weekend,” Anderson said. “If we get in four games this weekend of the five we have scheduled, I’ll be happy.”
Perfect start
Senior center fielder Robert Rashid picked up right where he left off last season. Rashid, one of the nation’s leaders in stolen bases in 2010, was 7-for-7 on steals in Lawrence’s first eight games. Rashid, who led the team with a .393 batting average during the spring break trip, stole a school season record 32 bases last season.
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.
Vikings finish spring break trip on winning note
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Lawrence University baseball team finished its spring break trip on a winning note with a nonconference doubleheader split with D’Youville College.
Lawrence (1-7) dropped the opening game 9-7 and then walloped D’Youville (2-4) 24-7 in the nightcap.
Lawrence pounded out 23 hits in the second game. Sophomore Phil Wisniewski went 4-for-6 and drove in four runs to pace the Lawrence attack.
Robert Rashid went 3-for-3with a pair of triples and scored four runs for the Vikings. Luke Barthelmess, who smacked a homer, Gabe Henriques, Eric Bohling, Davide Harris and Darvis PridGeon all had two hits apiece.
Andrew Wilt went the distance to pick up the win. He struck out eight and walked three.
Lawrence scored at least two runs in each inning and capped the game with a seven-run outburst in the seventh.
The Vikings dropped the opener despite outhitting the Spartans 14-10.
Lawrence built a 3-1 lead after three innings, but D’Youville scored five in the fifth, two more in the sixth and another run in the seventh to take a 9-3 lead.
The Vikings rallied in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded when D’Youville secured the final out.
Michael Baldino’s single scored Barthelmess to trim the lead to 9-4, and Wisniewski picked up a two-out single to score Rashid and Henriques.
Tanner DeBettencourt followed with a single to score Baldino to cut the lead to 9-7. A walk to Sam Kossow loaded the bases, but D’Youville got Barthelmess to fly out to end the game.
Baldino went 3-for-4 in the opener, and Harris, Wisniewski, Bohling and DeBettencourt all had two hits apiece.
Lawrence drops pair to Dickinson
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Dickinson College baseball team put together a big offensive day and swept a nonconference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Friday by the scores of 15-4 and 14-0.
The Red Devils (13-3) had 13 hits in the opener against a pair of Lawrence pitchers. Dickinson had four players with two hits apiece, and Tyler Rosa and Ben Sciambi both drove in three runs.
John Doran pitched the first four innings, allowing 10 hits, and took the loss for the Vikings (0-6). Will Daley went the distance and picked up the win.
Lawrence scored all four of its runs in the first inning. Alex Brewer led Lawrence’s attack by going 2-for-3, and Eric Bohling drove in a pair of runs.
In the nightcap, Sean White pitched the first six innings and Sam Baxendale worked the seventh to combine for the shutout. Lawrence was limited to six hits.
Luke Barthelmess pitched the first four innings and took the loss. He allowed only four hits but walked eight.
Evan Hennessy went 3-for-4 and drove in five runs to pace the Red Devils.