The Highlights

Scores, news and more from Lawrence University Athletics

MSOE takes two from Vikings

APPLETON, Wis. — The Milwaukee School of Engineering baseball team limited Lawrence University to only seven hits and swept a nonconference doubleheader on Wednesday at Whiting Field.

The Raiders (15-17) won the opener 3-1 and took the nightcap 8-5.

In the first game, Luke Yogerst went six innings and gave up only three hits to pick up the win. Mike Bergstrom pitched the seventh for the save.

Derek Jordan went 3-for-3 and scored two runs in the opener for MSOE, and Nick Jablonski drove in a pair of runs.

MSOE got single runs in the first and third off Lawrence starter Kelton Jenkins and then added an insurance run in the fifth. Lawrence (9-21) scored its only run in the bottom of the first on Sam Kossow’s RBI single.

Jenkins pitched the first three innings and took the loss.

In the nightcap, the Raiders piled up 13 hits against five Lawrence pitchers. Ben Falls went the first six innings and allowed only three hits to pick up the win.

MSOE scored twice in the first on two-run homer by Walt Ziller and then added another run in the second, three more in the third and single runs in the fourth and sixth. Josh Hein went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs for MSOE and Jake Hilgendorf drove in three runs.

The Vikings closed in on MSOE in the third on Aaron Benz’s two-run single that trimmed the lead to 6-3. Lawrence added two more runs in the seventh to cut the lead to 8-5. Lawrence had the bases loaded when Bergstrom came in and got the final out to record his second save of the day.

Lawrence returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Marian University in a nonconference doubleheader.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings set to crash MWC championship party

Lawrence University softball star Cathy Kaye takes that old expression about running through a wall for her team pretty seriously. With Lawrence’s season hanging in the balance last weekend, Kaye went crashing into the fence at Ripon College to help her Vikings.

Faced with having to win all four league games this past Saturday and Sunday to earn a spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament, the Vikings swept Carroll University and Ripon College. It was Kaye’s catch against the Red Hawks that epitomized Lawrence’s go-for-broke attitude.

“Cathy made one of the best catches I’ve seen her make during her career, and she nearly got whiplash from crashing into the fence,” Lawrence coach Kim Tatro said. “She came in smiling with blood on her teeth.”

Lawrence earned its first MWC Tournament berth since 2006 by finishing second in the North Division. St. Norbert College won the North, and Lake Forest College won the South Division with Cornell College earning the other tournament berth.

The Vikings enter the tournament with a 19-13 record and take on Lake Forest (17-16) in the opening game at 10 a.m. on Friday at Mel Nicks Field in De Pere. Host school St. Norbert (19-13) takes on Cornell (18-14) in the other opening game. The double-elimination tournament concludes Saturday with the winner receiving an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

“It’s been a few years (since Lawrence played in the tournament), and we’ve been pretty close on different occasions. To actually accomplish it is a pretty good feeling,” Tatro said.

“It’s kind of like a fresh start in some ways. We’re getting some clutch hits. We’re getting good defense and pitching well enough to win.”

The Vikings went into last weekend’s must-win games without feeling the pressure. After all, no one really expected Lawrence to pull off a four-game sweep, did they?

“It’s one of those things that we didn’t talk about,” Tatro said. “Everyone knew for sure, the team looks at the standings and the web so I’m sure they were well aware of the task at hand. Our goal was to play relaxed and play loose. We seem to play much better when we’re in that mode. I think if you look at it as a hill you have to climb, it adds stress to your life.”

The Vikings got big performances from their three seniors, Kaye, pitcher Shannon Murray and catcher Gaelen Lombard-Knapp. In the four must-win games, Murray hit .583 with four runs batted in, and she went 2-0 with two saves and posted a 0.74 earned run average.

“You can’t say enough about Shannon with her pitching, hitting and coming in for saves. I think it’s really kind of magical for the seniors,” said Tatro, adding she’s had big contributions from the first-year players as well.

The Vikings are starting four freshmen, third baseman Anna Wawiorka (.320 batting average), designated player Taylor Dodson (.305), outfielder Tierney Duffy (.277) and outfielder Savanna Marsicek (.239).

‘”We had freshmen stepping up all over the place, and our seniors couldn’t have been better at Ripon,” Tatro said.

This past weekend is a microcosm of the Lawrence season. The Vikings seem to get knocked down time and again and always rise to meet the next challenge.

“I’ve said it before. they are very resilient, and they proved that this past weekend,” Tatro said. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” Tatro said.

“I give credit to all 19 players on the roster for their mentality and their contributions. I think we have to stick to the same approach. To get tight now would be foolish. It’s about being loose and relaxed, and we have a little bit of extra confidence.”

Golfers go for gold

The Lawrence golf team also is playing in the league championships, which start Thursday at Aldeen Golf Club in Rockford, Ill.

Lawrence, which finished seventh in the team standings in 2012, has two of the league’s top players in freshmen Rudi Pino and sophomore Anton Olsson.

Pino, who carded a career-low 68 this season, leads the league with a stroke average of 75.3 and Olsson isn’t far behind at 77.0. Both players will have a shot at the title but will have to contend with the likes of Carroll’s Cody Neu, Monmouth’s Britt Bothast and St. Norbert’s Joe Martin and Nic Vrubley.

The 54-hole tournament finishes up on Saturday.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations 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.

Tuesday’s baseball doubleheader vs. Marian postponed, rescheduled for Thursday

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball doubleheader scheduled against Marian University on Tuesday has been postponed due to wet field conditions at Whiting Field.

The doubleheader has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 2, at 1 p.m.

Lawrence is scheduled to return to action on Wednesday when it hosts the Milwaukee School of Engineering at 2:30 p.m. at Whiting Field.

Olsson, Pino tie for sixth at St. Norbert Invitational

WRIGHTSTOWN, Wis. — Anton Olsson and Rudi Pino tied for sixth place to lead the Lawrence University golf team at the St. Norbert College Invitational on Sunday.

Olsson and Pino both finished with a 36-hole score of 155 on the par-72 layout at Royal St. Patrick’s Golf Links. Olsson carded rounds of 79 and 76 and Pino shot 80 and 75.

Lawrence finished with team scores of 334 and 317 to finish at 651, which was good for sixth place.

Michael Vaubel finished tied for 31st at 170, and Fabian Sivnert was tied for 35th at 174.

Results

 

 

Vikings can’t get past doubles semifinals at MWC Championships; Girard named Coach of the Year

MADISON, Wis. — The doubles teams for Lawrence University were stopped in the semifinals on Sunday at the Midwest Conference Championships, but the Vikings still took home a big prize as Kevin Girard was named Coach of the Year.

Girard coached his squad to a second-place finish, Lawrence’s best showing at the championships since it took second back in 2003. Lawrence finished with a 14-7 dual meet record and won the league’s North Division. The Vikings finished second in the conference after losing to Grinnell College in the league championship match on Friday. This was the first time Girard has won Coach of the Year since coming to Lawrence in the summer of 2007.

Lawrence’s Nos. 2 and 3 doubles teams both reached the championship semifinals on Sunday.

The No. 2 team of Cooper Smith and Jeremy Andereck stopped Cornell in straight sets in the quarterfinals, but then lost 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 to the team from Grinnell, which went on to win the title, in the semifinals. The No. 3 team of Brian DeCorte and Craig Sherwood rolled past Monmouth in the quarterfinals but fell 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to St. Norbert College in the semifinals.

The No. 1 team of Jason Dunn and Max Zlevor lost in the championship quarterfinals and were eliminated in the consolation first round.

Results

Vikings sweep Ripon to secure MWC Tournament berth

RIPON, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team swept Ripon College on Sunday and earned a berth in the Midwest Conference Tournament in the process.

Lawrence (19-13, 7-7 MWC) won the opener 3-1 and took the nightcap 4-2.

The Vikings will be the No. 2 seed from the North Division when the tournament begins Friday. St. Norbert College won the North Division and will host the tournament. This is Lawrence’s first appearance in the MWC Tournament since the Vikings went five consecutive seasons from 2002-06.

Lawrence entered Sunday’s play knowing it needed a sweep of the games to advance to the MWC Tournament, and the Vikings got a standout pitching performance in the opener. Shannon Murray tossed a four-hit shutout, striking out four and walking one.

Murray went 2-for-3 and drove in a run and Anna Wawiorka also picked up a pair of hits for the Vikings.

The Vikings got on the board with an unearned run in the third. After Cathy Kaye reached on error and moved to second on the play, she scored on Murray’s single to put Lawrence up 1-0.

The Vikings added two more runs in the fourth for a 3-0 edge. Taylor Dodson got things stared with a walk and pinch-runner Gaelen Lombard-Knapp then scored on Cory Paquette’s double. After an error put sunners at the corners, Kaye singled to score Paquette.

Murray then shut Ripon (11-17, 5-9) down, retiring the Red Hawks in order in teh sixth and seventh to secure the victory.

In the nightcap, Murray and Kara Vance combined to hold off the Red Hawks. Murray made the start and went three-plus innings. Vance came on in relief to stop what could have been a big inning in the fourth.

Lawrence had taken a 3-0 in the top half of the inning when Dodson singled with the bases loaded. Mary Diduch and Alex Chiodo scored and a Ripon error allowed Alissa Geipel to also score on the play.

Ripon got two hits off Murray in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 3-1 when Vance came in. Another run scored on a groundout, and the Vikings led 3-2.

Lawrence got a run back in the top of the fifth when Kaye singled and later scored on Murray’s single to push the lead to 4-2.

After Vance gave up a two-out single in the seventh, Murray came back in to pitch and got a popup to end the game.

Murray went 3-for-4 in the nightcap and drove in a run. Dodson and Kaye both had two hits and Dodson drove in a pair of runs.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Vikings sweep top three spots in 10k at UW-Whitewater

WHITEWATER, Wis. — Jamie Brisbois led a 1-2-3 finish by the Lawrence University track team in the 10,000 meters at the Drake Alternative on Saturday at UW-Whitewater.

Brisbois won the event in 34:45.31 and was followed by teammates Kyle Dockery (35:06.57) and Jonah Laursen (35:46.02).

Other top finishers for the Lawrence men were: the 1,6oo relay team (second, 3:49.54), the 400 relay team (third, 45.80) and JP Ranumas (third, 110 hurdles, 15.74).

The top finisher for the Lawrence women was Clare Bruning, who grabbed third in the 10,000 in 43:31.24.

Results

Olsson leads Lawrence golfers on opening day of St. Norbert Invitational

WRIGHTSTOWN, Wis. — Anton Olsson shot 79 to pace the Lawrence University golf team during Saturday’s first round of the St. Norbert College Invitational at Royal St. Patrick’s Golf Links.

Olsson’s seven-over par score puts him tied for sixth and just five shots off the lead of St. Norbert’s Nic Vrubley. Rudi Pino carded an 80 for Lawrence and is tied for 10th place.

Michael Vaubel shot 86, and Tyler Clark and Fabian Sivnert both carded 89s for the Vikings.

Lawrence had a team score of 334, which places it sixth among the seven teams. St. Norbert leads the tournament at 316.

The tournament wraps up with the second round on Sunday.

Sherwood takes second to pace Vikings in singles competition at MWC Championships

MADISON, Wis. — Craig Sherwood took second place at No. 4 singles to pace the Lawrence University men’s tennis team during the singles portion of the Midwest Conference Championships on Saturday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

Sherwood, who took second at No. 5 singles as freshman in 2012, lost to Grinnell College’s C.J. Ray 6-3, 6-3 in the championship match. Sherwood had reached the title match with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Illinois College’s Caleb Brown in the quarterfinals and a 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 win over Marco Franco of Monmouth College in the semifinals.

In the other flights, Cooper Smith lost to eventual champion John Adams of Lake Forest College in the championship semifinals at No. 1 singles. Jason Dunn lost in the championship quarterfinals at No. 2 but came back to win the consolation final, defeating Walter Palmer of Knox College 8-5.

Max Zlevor lost in the championship quarterfinals at No. 3 and was then eliminated in the consolation first round. At No. 5, freshman Brian DeCorte reached the championship semifinals before falling to Carroll University’s Frank Giuffre. Jeremy Andereck also reached the championship semifinals before losing to eventual champion Charlie Wilhelm of Grinnell.

Lawrence, which is assured of second place in the championships based on its finish the MWC Team Tournament, wraps up play this season in the doubles competition on Sunday.

Results

Lawrence picks up critical doubleheader sweep against Carroll

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University softball team picked up a critical Midwest Conference doubleheader sweep of Carroll University on Saturday at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (17-13, 5-7 MWC) topped the Pioneers (12-22, 8-6) 3-1 in the opener, and the Vikings got a 3-1 victory in the nightcap.

The Vikings need a sweep of their doubleheader at Ripon College on Sunday to secure a berth in the four-team MWC Tournament next weekend.

Shannon Murray went the distance for Lawrence in the opener and allowed just one unearned run in the second inning. She gave up seven hits, struck out two and walked one. Taylor Steinhilber took the loss for Carroll.

Carroll led 1-0 when Lawrence grabbed the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. The Vikings had runners at second and third with one out when Murray’s groundout scored Tierney Duffy to tie the game. Anna Wawiorka followed with a double to score Savanna Marsicek and the Vikings led 2-1.

Lawrence manufactured a run in the fifth using Cathy Kaye’s speed. Kaye was at first when Marsicek laid down a sacrifice bunt. Kaye was streaking toward third on the play, and first baseman Chrstine Roggemann threw the ball away at third. Kaye scored on the play, and Lawrence led 3-1.

Murray worked around a lead-off single in the sixth and set the side down in order in the seventh to secure the win.

In the nightcap, Murray escaped a huge jam in the seventh to secure the victory.

The Vikings grabbed an early 2-0 lead on Murray’s run-scoring single in the first and Cory Paquette’s inside-the-park homer in the third. After Carroll cut the lead to 2-1 in the fifth, the Vikings got the run back on Taylor Dodson’s RBI single in the bottom half of the inning.

Murray came in for starter Kara Vance in the top of the sixth, and then had to shut down a Carroll rally in the seventh. Lawrence led 3-1 when Carroll took advantage of an error, a single and a wild pitch to put runners at second and third with one out. Murray then struck out Hannah Sanidas looking and Kelsey Uhlenbrauck swinging to seal the victory.

Vance went 5.1 innings to earn the victory, and Murray got her fifth save of the season. Roggemann took the loss despite allowing just five hits over six innings.

Game one box score

Game two box score