Baseball

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team posted a walk-off win in the opener and then won a slugfest in the nightcap to sweep a nonconference doubleheader from Knox College on Saturday.

Lawrence won the first game 5-4 and took the second game 17-12 at Whiting Field.

In the opener, Knox scored twice in the top of the eighth to tie the game at 4-4. Davis Ogilvie came on in relief, struck out one batter in the eighth and then struck out the side in the ninth.

A walk and a fielder’s choice put Brandon Klar at first in the bottom of the ninth for the Vikings. After a strikeout, Zach Rabideau delivered a double to score Klar and give Lawrence the win.

Ogilvie picked up the win to improve to 2-2 on the season and went 3-for-4 and drove in a run.

Klar went 2-for-4 with a homer, scored four of Lawrence’s five runs and drove in a run. Luke Zablocki also had a pair of hits and an RBI for Lawrence.

In the nightcap, Lawrence rallied from an early four-run deficit and then rallied from a two-run deficit in the seventh to get the win.

Travis Weber went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two runs batted in and was a homer short of the cycle. Anthony Ortiz, Davis Ogilvie and Matthew Holliday all had two hits for the Vikings.

Ortiz and Ogilvie both belted three-run homers, and Holliday picked up his 15th double on the season to break Andrew Wong’s school record of 14.

Rabideau went 2.2 innings or relief to pick up his third win of the season. Kelton Jenkins pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn his fourth save of the season, which ties the school’s season record Jim Petran set in 1979.

The Vikings trailed 5-1 and then scored five runs, all unearned, in the bottom of the third. The big hit in the inning was Ortiz’s three-run blast. Lawrence then took a 9-6 lead in the fourth with Weber delivering a run-scoring triple.

After giving up three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh, the Vikings were down 11-6. Lawrence then scored six times in the seventh, with Holliday belting a two-run double and Ogilvie smacking a three-run homer for a 15-11 lead.

Lawrence added two more insurance runs in the eighth with the help of two doubles and two Knox errors. Jenkins then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Game one box score

Game two box score

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Adam Rude tossed a one-hit shutout to lead the UW-Oshkosh baseball team to a 7-0 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Tuesday at Tiedemann Field.

The only hit allowed by Rude was an eighth-inning single from freshman Travis Weber. Rude struck out four, walked two and hit two batters.

The Titans (21-14) piled up 13 hits against six Lawrence (10-22) pitchers. John Eagan and Andy Brahier both had two hits and both drove in two runs for Oshkosh.

The Titans scored once in the first inning and added three more in the second to pull away. Oshkosh added three more insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings for the final margin.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Ripon College baseball team held off Lawrence University in the opener on Sunday and then pulled away late to take game two in a Midwest Conference doubleheader at Whiting Field.

Ripon won the first game 5-4 and took the nightcap 14-3.

In the opener, Ripon (15-12, 10-2 MWC) built a 4-0 lead in the top of the third, but Lawrence rallied in the bottom half of the inning. Anthony Ortiz singled and Brandon Klar was hit by a pitch and both came home on Matthew Holliday’s two-run single.

Holliday went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs for Lawrence (10-21, 2-14).

Ripon got a run back in the top of the sixth, but the Vikings battled back in the bottom of the eighth. Klar led off with a double and Jake Gordon followed with another double to score Klar and trim the lead to 5-3. Gordon later scored on Holliday’s ground out to cut the lead to 5-4.

Jeff Schuurmans got the final out of the eighth and then worked around a single in the ninth to pick up the save.

In the nightcap, Ripon scored nine runs in the final two innings to break the game open.

Lawrence led 1-0 after Holliday’s RBI double in the first, but Ripon struck for three runs in the third to take the lead.

The Red Hawks made it 4-1 in the top of the sixth, but Lawrence rallied in the bottom half of the inning. Tim Kinsella singled to start the rally, and Davis Ogilvie then reached on an error. Travis Weber singled to score Kinsella, and the Vikings later executed a double steal to score Ogilvie and trim the lead to 5-3.

Michael Polcyn hit a solo homer to give Ripon a 6-3 lead in the seventh. The Red Hawks then added three runs in the eighth, the big blow coming on Nick Uhen’s two-run homer. Uhen finished 4-for-5 with five runs batted in.

Ripon then scored six times in the ninth as Polcyn homered again, and Nick Kita and Uhen both had two-run doubles.

Holliday went 2-for-4 in the nightcap for Ripon. Gordon had a single in the fifth for the 154th hit of his career, which ties the school’s career record held by Andrew Wong.

Game one box score

Game two box score

RIPON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team lost an 11-inning heartbreaker to Ripon College in the opener of a Midwest Conference doubleheader on Saturday and then dropped the nightcap at Francis Field.

Ripon won the first game 1-0, and the Red Hawks fired a one-hitter and won 12-0 in the nightcap.

In the opener, both teams had scoring chances but the game was scoreless headed to the 11th inning.

In the top half of the 11th, Jake Gordon ripped a one-out double, and Matthew Holliday followed with a single to put runners at the corners for Lawrence (10-19, 2-12 MWC). The Red Hawks (13-12, 8-2) then got an inning-ending double play to end the threat.

In the bottom half of the inning, Michael Polcyn led off with a triple and then scored on Nick Schmitt’s single to win it.

Patrick Van Daalwyk tossed 10.1 innings of shutout baseball for Ripon, but it was Michael Anderson who picked up the win by getting the double-play ground ball in the 11th.

Holliday had a pair of hits for Lawrence, and Polcyn finished with two hits for Ripon.

In the nightcap, Marshall Zahn tossed a one-hitter for Ripon. The only hit he allowed was Holliday’s single in the seventh inning. Zahn struck out eight and walked one.

Polcyn and Nick Kita both went 3-for-4 to lead Ripon’s 17-hit attack.

Game one box score

Game two box score

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The Lawrence University offense exploded in the opener, and the pitching staff allowed just one earned run in the nightcap as the Vikings swept a nonconference doubleheader from Dominican (Ill.) University on Wednesday.

Lawrence took the first game 14-7 and won the nightcap 4-3 at Boomers Stadium.

In the opener, the Vikings (10-17) pounded out 18 hits and jumped on the Stars early.

Tim Kinsella went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs, and Jake Gordon and Matthew Holliday both had three hits for the Vikings. Luke Zablocki, Kyle Duex and Davis Ogilvie all collected a pair of hits for Lawrence.

The Vikings scored four times in the first inning and added five more runs in the second. In the first, Zablocki had a two-run double and Holliday added a run-scoring single. Kinsella had a two-run single in the second and Gordon picked up an RBI single as the Vikings led 9-2.

Dominican (10-22) closed to 9-7, but the Vikings added a run in the third and three more in fifth, including two on Kinsella’s triple.

Freshman Zach Rabideau tossed 2.1 innings of one-hit relief to improve to 2-2 on the season. Philip Clark finished with three innings of one-hit relief to earn his second save of the season.

In the nightcap, four Lawrence pitchers combined to allow just one earned run. Holliday, a freshman from Hong Kong, allowed one hit over two innings to earn his first collegiate victory. Kelton Jenkins allowed an unearned run in the seventh but picked up his third save of the season.

Brandon Klar went 2-for-3, scored two runs and drove in another to pace the Vikings. Kinsella capped his big day by going 2-for-3 and driving in a run.

The Vikings scored in the top of the first when Klar led off the game with a single and later scored on Kinsella’s sacrifice fly. The Stars tied it with a run in the second, but Lawrence took the lead for good in the fifth when Klar was hit by a pitch and later scored on Zablocki’s ground out.

The Vikings stretched the lead to 4-1 with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth. The two-out rally started with Joel Birch’s single, and Ogilvie then reached on an error. Klar singled to score Birch, and Ogilvie came around to score on the play after a bad throw.

Dominican scored an unearned run in the sixth and picked up another in the seventh before Jenkins got Milne Rojek to ground out with the tying run at second to end the game.

Game one box score

Game two box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Carroll University baseball team got a great pitching performance in game one and then won a nail-biter in the nightcap to sweep a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Sunday.

Carroll won the first game 15-2, and the Pioneers took the second game 5-3 at Whiting Field.

In the opener, Carroll starter Kevin Dineen went the distance to pick up the win. He allowed only four hits, struck out three and walked two. Lawrence (8-17, 2-10 MWC) got its only two runs of the game on Luke Zablocki’s two-run double in the fifth inning.

Clayton Schmitt, Alex Olson and Joe Huss all had three hits and drove in two runs apiece as the Pioneers (13-15, 6-2) pounded out 16 hits.

In the nightcap, Carroll broke a 3-3 tie with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning. Schmitt got that rally started with a one-out double, and Dylan Grove was then hit by a pitch.

The runners took off on a passed ball, but the throw to third was off-target and went into left field. Schmitt scored on the play, and the throw home got away from catcher Travis Weber, allowing Grove to move to third. He then scored on Tyler Schovanec’s single for a 5-3 lead.

Schovanec finished 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs.

Jake Mills got a two-out single in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Zach Wiseman got Brandon Klar to ground out to end the game. Wiseman pitched 1.2 innings of relief for the win.

Jake Gordon went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in the nightcap for Lawrence. Gordon is now just seven hits shy of breaking Lawrence’s career hits record. Klar led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer, and Matthew Holliday had a pair of hits.

Klar’s homer gave Lawrence a 1-0 lead, but Olson homered in the second to tie it. Schovanec’s RBI single in the third gave the Pioneers a 2-1 lead, but Lawrence tied it on Gordon’s solo homer in the fifth.

Carroll took the lead back with a run in the top of the eighth, but Gordon doubled and then scored on Holliday’s single in the bottom half of the inning to tie it at 3-3.

Game one box score

Game two box score

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team took the nightcap on Saturday to pick up a Midwest Conference doubleheader split with Carroll University.

Carroll won the opener 9-6, and Lawrence won the second game 10-5 at Frame Park.

In the nightcap, Jake Gordon went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Vikings (8-15, 2-8 MWC). Jake Mills and Matthew Holliday both had two hits, and Brandon Klar, who homered, and Travis Weber drove in two runs apiece.

Philip Clark worked one inning of relief to get the win, and freshman Zach Rabideau tossed three innings of scoreless relief to pick up his first collegiate save.

Weber’s two-run triple in the second inning gave the Vikings a 2-1 edge, and Lawrence started to pull away in the fourth. Lawrence scored four times with the help of three hits, two hit batsmen and a walk. The big hit in the inning was a two-run single by Gordon that gave the Vikings a 6-2 lead.

Carroll (11-15, 4-2) trimmed the lead to 7-5 after six innings, but the Vikings put the game away with three runs in the eighth. Klar got things started with a solo homer to make it 8-5. Holliday then added  a run-scoring single, and Anthony Ortiz had an RBI double to make it 10-5.

In the opener, Carroll broke a 6-6 tie with a run in the bottom of the sixth and went on to the victory. The Pioneers got a run in the sixth on Tyler Schovanec’s single, and Carroll added two more runs in the seventh on Hunter Frey’s two-run homer.

Tyler Robers went six innings to get the win, and Davis Ogilvie took the loss in relief.

Gordon went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs to pace the Vikings. Holliday and Ogilvie both went 2-for-5 for Lawrence, which out-hit the Pioneers 11-10.

The Vikings started the ninth with a pair of singles to bring the tying run to the plate, but Daniel Arden got the final three outs to pick up the save.

Game one box score

Game two box score

APPLETON, Wis. — We’ve all heard the lecture about the value of hard work. We nod our heads in agreement at our parents or teachers or coaches, but that doesn’t mean we immediately put the nose to the grindstone.

Consider Lawrence University baseball star Jake Gordon a convert to the church of sweat, exhaustion and perseverance. With his work ethic pointing the way, Gordon has mixed in natural ability to put together stellar junior and senior seasons.

“Jake won every single award last year because of his work ethic,” Lawrence coach Jason Anderson said. “You have a lot of talent and add the work ethic, you break the school record for hits in a season and possibly the career hits record, that’s the example.”

Gordon hit .400 last season and broke Lawrence’s season hits record with 54 in just 33 games. He is hitting .392 this season with six doubles, four triples, two homers, 22 runs scored and 16 runs batted in.

Gordon now has 140 hits for his career, just 15 shy of breaking Andrew Wong’s school record of 154.

“The No. 1 goal (for this season), obviously, was to win,” Gordon said. “All the individual accolades were nice last year, but I came into this year wanting to win and make the conference tournament.”

The Vikings have struggled out of the gate in Midwest Conference play, but that hasn’t slowed Gordon’s assault on the Lawrence record book. Gordon is likely to be in Lawrence’s top five in career hits, runs scored, doubles and triples.

“The No. 2 goal was to improve any way I could,” Gordon said. “I thought last year was special, but I didn’t expect to come into this year and duplicate that.”

In addition to being an All-Midwest Conference selection last season, Gordon was chosen for the D3baseball.com All-Central Region team and the Jewish Sports Review All-America squad.

While Gordon is now an elite player in NCAA Division III, he was at a crossroads after his sophomore season. After hitting .337 as a freshman in 2012, Gordon slumped to .222 in 2013, and he knew why.

“That’s one of the things about my sophomore year, it kind of motivated me,” Gordon said. “I came in and played pretty well my freshman year but didn’t put in that kind of work I needed to.”

Gordon said he and Anderson had a long talk after that season.

“He said, ‘Don’t ever regret your baseball career,’ and I regretted my sophomore year and not putting in enough work,” Gordon said. “That motivated me, and it continues to motivate me every day.”

With the hard work paying off for Gordon, it is evident that other members of the Vikings have taken notice. With nine freshmen on the team, including starters Matthew Holliday, Jake Mills, Anthony Ortiz and Travis Weber, Gordon hopes to have an impact on Lawrence’s stars of the future.

“A lot of the freshmen have taken my example and run with it,” Gordon said. “They are in the weight room and working hard to get better. This is one of the best group of guys we’ve had in terms of work ethic. I hope it’s because of my example, but it’s a good group of guys.”

Anderson said he knew Gordon had ability, but it has been his workmanlike attitude that has made the difference between good and great.

“I knew he could be this good. What I didn’t know was just how hard he was going to work at it,” Anderson said.

“If you want to be successful, you have to do the work consistently. To have Jake on the team who is doing it consistently is a big help. The freshmen have to either follow along or get left behind.”

DE PERE, Wis. — The St. Norbert College baseball team swept a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Sunday at Van Alstine Field.

St. Norbert took the opener 12-7 and won the nightcap 7-2.

In the opening game, St. Norbert pulled out to a 5-1 lead and then withstood a Lawrence rally.

Jake Gordon went 3-for-5 with a homer, and Matthew Holliday went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles for the Vikings (7-14, 1-7 MWC).

The Green Knights led 5-1 after two innings and were up 10-2 before Lawrence rallied in the sixth. The Vikings had seven hits in the inning, including run-scoring hits by Joel Birch, Travis Weber and Anthony Ortiz, to trim the lead to 10-7.

St. Norbert responded by scoring twice in the bottom half of the inning to seal the win.

In the nightcap, Brendan Hermann limited Lawrence to six hits and two runs over six innings to pick up the win. Derek Klegin went 4-for-5 and scored three runs for the Green Knights (13-10, 5-3).

St. Norbert led 3-0 after the first, but the Vikings chipped away at the lead. Lawrence got a run in the third when Brandon Klar singled and scored on Luke Zablocki’s sacrifice fly. The Vikings trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the fifth when Gordon doubled and scored on Zablocki’s double.

St. Norbert countered with two runs in the sixth and then added single runs in the seventh and eighth to seal the win.

Gordon and Jake Mills both went 2-for-4, and Zablocki was 2-for-3 and drove in both runs.

Game one box score

Game two box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The St. Norbert College baseball team rode superlative pitching and a powerful offense on Saturday to a Midwest Conference doubleheader sweep of Lawrence University.

The Green Knights won the opener 13-1 and took the nightcap 14-2 at Whiting Field.

In the first game, Matt Freeman tossed a one-hitter for the Green Knights (11-10, 3-3 MWC). The only hit allowed by Freeman was a fourth-inning single by Jake Mills. It was nearly a great defensive play by first baseman Troy Rottier, who dived for the ball but it deflected off his glove into right field. Freeman struck out 12 and walked two.

St. Norbert scored four times in the first and chased Lawrence starter Drew Doares after just one out.

Rottier and shorstop Derek Klegin had three hits apiece to lead St. Norbert, and Tyler Brown and Jason Malkowski both drove in three runs.

In the nightcap, the Green Knights scored six times in the top of the first and never looked back. St. Norbert led 10-0 after three innings.

Four St. Norbert players collected two hits apiece, and Malkowski and Tyler Brown both drove in three runs.

Jake McMahon went the distance to get the win for St. Norbert. He allowed eight hits, struck out nine and walked two. He allowed a pair of runs in the fifth inning.

Brandon Klar went 3-for-4, and Jake Gordon was 2-for-3 to pace the Vikings (7-12, 1-5).

Game one box score

Game two box score