The Highlights

Scores, news and more from Lawrence University Athletics

Vikings edged by St. Scholastica in opener

CLERMONT, Fla. — The College of St. Scholastica held on for a 6-5 nonconference victory over the Lawrence University softball team on Friday in the season opener for the Vikings.

The Saints (5-4) pulled out to a 6-0 lead before the Vikings (0-1) rallied. Lawrence scored four times in the top of the sixth with the help of three St. Scholastica errors.

The Vikings loaded the bases on singles from Shannon Murray and Taylor Dodson, and Anna Wawiorka then reached on an error. Katie Schumacher singled to drive in a run and Alissa Geipel followed with a run-scoring groundout to cut the lead to 6-2. Back-to-back errors then scored Wawiorka and Schumacher to cut the lead to 6-4.

The Vikings then loaded the bases again in the seventh. Wawiorka hit into a fielder’s choice to score Alex Chiodo to cut the lead to 6-5, but the Saints got a pair of fly ball outs to end the game.

Murray went 3-for-4 to pace the Lawrence offense, and Cathy Kaye went 2-for-3 with a double.

Murray took the loss, allowing seven hits while striking out six and walking two. Darcy Roach got the win, allowing nine hits, striking out six and walking four.

Vikings open season with doubleheader split against Lakeland

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Lawrence University baseball team opened its season on Friday with a nonconference doubleheader split with Lakeland College at the Gene Cusic Classic.

Lakeland (4-4) won the opener 17-6, but the Vikings (1-1) took the nightcap 15-11.

In the nightcap, Lawrence rallied from a pair of deficits to take control. The Vikings trailed 2-1 after the second but scored four times in the top of third.

The Muskies grabbed the lead back with five runs in the bottom of the third to go up 7-5. Lawrence came right back to score six times in the fourth, and the Vikings added three more runs in the sixth to seal the victory.

Lawrence had three players with three hits apiece to pace a 17-hit attack. Jake Gordon went 3-for-4 and finished a homer short of the cycle. Gabe Henriques and Aaron Benz both went 3-for-4 as well.

Davide Harris, Sam Kossow, Phil Wisniewski and Richie Foreman all had two hits for the Vikings.

Senior Alex Brewer pitched three-plus innings to get the win in relief. Dan Taylor pitched the final 1.2 innings to close out the victory. Andy Chitwood made the start and took the loss for Lakeland.

Lakeland got off to a fast start and took advantage of walks to win the opener. The Muskies led 4-0 after the top of the first, and Lawrence pitchers walked 12 in the opener.

John Doran made the start for the Vikings and took the loss. Derek Loomans picked up the win for Lakeland.

Henriques went 3-for-4 with a double to pace the Lawrence offense, and Davis Ogilvie went 2-for-4 for the Vikings.

Lawrence returns to action on Saturday with a doubleheader against Gettysburg College.

Early bird tickets on sale for NCAA Division III Baseball Championship

APPLETON, Wis. – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced ticket pricing for its 2013 Division III Baseball Championship that rewards early buyers.

The championship, which will be held May 24-28 at Time Warner Cable at Fox Cities Stadium, is an eight-team, double-elimination tournament. Four games will be held on both May 24 and 25, while three contests are set for May 26. Two games are scheduled for May 27 and the final will be May 28, with a second title game if necessary.

The Early Bird All-Session Pass will be on sale for $15 from March 18 through May 10. The cost is a savings of $18 off the regular price. Early Bird passes can be purchased by contacting the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ticket office at (920) 733-4152. They can also be obtained by going to www.timberrattlers.com.

After May 10, the price of the all-session pass rises to $33 for adults and $20 for students and senior citizens. A daily pass to the tournament costs $11 for adults and $7 for students or senior citizens. Tickets for championship day will be $7 for adults and $5 for students or senior citizens.

In the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship, Marietta College (Ohio) won its second straight title and sixth overall with a 7-2 victory over Wheaton College (Mass.).

Lawrence University and the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau are hosting the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, which began in 1976.

Other major local sponsors are the Bergstrom Corporation, J.J. Keller Foundation, Inc., and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium will serve as the venue of this championship for the 14th straight year. The newly renovated facility is the home of the 2012 Midwest League champion Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

For more information on the 2013 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, visit www.ncaa.com. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations Joe Vanden Acker at (920) 832-6878.

Vikings forced to cancel opening baseball game in Florida

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team was forced to cancel the opening game of its spring break trip to Florida on Thursday.

The Vikings have canceled Thursday’s game vs. Principia College, which was scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern time in Fort Myers, Fla.

Lawrence, traveling by bus to Florida, was stuck in traffic for three hours after an accident ahead of them on the highway. The Vikings are now scheduled to arrive in Florida this evening.

The Vikings are scheduled to open play on Friday morning at 10 a.m. Eastern time with a doubleheader against Lakeland College.

Inside LU Athletics: Vikings finding the right mix on softball diamond

The Lawrence University softball team has yet to feel the warm sunshine on their faces, but coach Kim Tatro has seen enough to know her Vikings will be better this season.

“We’re definitely an improved squad. We can say that with complete confidence,” said Tatro, who enters her 20th season at Lawrence.

“It’s kind of a perfect storm of a good combination of returning talent supplemented with new talent. I always have to be cautiously optimistic, but I sure like where we are right now with as much as we can tell being in the gym.”

Lawrence finally gets outside when the Vikings begin play Friday at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. The Vikings are scheduled to play 12 games over eight days before returning home.

Lawrence, which went 9-22 last season, will rely on its mix of proven returning players and a host of stellar rookies. The Vikings have 20 players on the roster, making this the biggest squad Tatro has ever had.

“It’s nice to have a variety of potential lineups based on our roster size,” Tatro said. “That gives us some variables we haven’t had in the past.”

One thing that hasn’t changed from a season ago is the Vikings’ reliance on pitcher Shannon Murray. An All-Midwest Conference and All-Great Lakes Region selection last season, Murray will throw the bulk of the innings for the Vikings.

“Shannon looks terrific,” Tatro said. “Good leadership, quality performance, works as hard as anyone on the team. She’s a complete package.”

Murray went 8-14 a season ago with a 3.70 earned run average. She struck out 107 and walked only 19 last season in 143.2 innings. Murray also led the team with a .344 batting average and drove in a team-high 21 runs. She also led the team with nine doubles and two triples and she hit a pair of homers.

“We definitely need Shannon’s bat in the lineup,” Tatro said. “Whether it’s the DP (designated player) or at first base.”

The Vikings have more pitching options this season to support Murray. Sophomores Kara Vance and Liz Barthels are back, and the Vikings also have freshmen Katie Schumacher and Jessica Demski.

“I think they all have different strengths,” Tatro said of her pitching staff. “It’s nice to have options. We won’t know the answers until we play.”

The Vikings also have options behind the plate. After missing last season due to injury, senior Gaelen Lombard-Knapp is back. She was the starter behind the plate in 2011 when she hit .241 and drove in 13 runs. Junior Alex Chiodo started the bulk of the games behind the plate last season.

“Gaelen has done a nice job orchestrating the defense and calling things,” Tatro said. “The other person it’s nice to have back there is Alex Chiodo.”

The rest of the infield also has strong returning players. Junior Cory Paquette is back at second base after hitting .268 a season ago. Junior Alissa Geipel, who has started at third and in the outfield, has made a “really good” transition to shortstop, according to Tatro.

Murray, Schumacher and Chiodo could all see action at first depending on who is pitching. Freshman Anna Wawiorka looks to be manning the hot corner at third but could also fill in at catcher.

The outfield is anchored by senior Cathy Kaye, an all-conference and all-region selection during her career. Kaye hit .270 last season with seven doubles, a triple, a team-high four homers and 19 runs batted in. She also swiped 13 bases and was only caught once.

Kaye will be coupled with rookies Tierney Duffy and Savanna Marsicek in the outfield. The Vikings also have great depth in the outfield with returning players Mary Diduch and Brielle Bartes in the mix.

“The quickness, the arm strength of the two freshman (Duffy and Marsicek) and their abilities at the plate are outstanding,” Tatro said. “You couple those two with Anna and they could be the three fastest kids on the team.”

Tatro also is looking for a spot for freshman Taylor Dodson, who “right now she could be one of our most consistent hitters.”

“You don’t want to get so excited that you look past the fact that you have inexperience in the lineup, but when see their ability and what they do in practice day in and day out, you have to think that will transfer onto the field,” Tatro said. “I know we’re going to have some growing pains from time to time, but I like where we’re at right now.”

Tough trip

The Vikings will face some challenges when they begin play in Florida. Lawrence faces a host of teams that had success last season. Lawrence’s opponents in the Sunshine State averaged 20.5 wins last season and two of them had more than 30 victories.

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.

Pelton, men’s sabre pace Lawrence fencers at NCAA Regional

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Ian Pelton took sixth place to lead the Lawrence University fencing team at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships this past weekend at the University of Notre Dame.

Pelton posted a 7-6 record to lead the men’s sabre contingent. Also competing in sabre, Graham Jones placed 10th and Drew Doares was 12th.

Other top finishers for the Vikings were: Alex Biehl (12th, men’s foil), Moses Zarkin-Scott (10th, men’s epee), Alyssa Rosenbaum (women’s epee, 12th), Shelby Guinn (13th, women’s sabre) and Kali Thibault (18th, women’s foil).

Results

Vikings roll past MSOE 8-1

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s tennis team rolled to an 8-1 nonconference win over the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Friday night at Fox Cities Racquet Club.

The Vikings began the match by sweeping the three doubles matches, and Lawrence then took the Nos. 2 through 6 singles matches. Both Max Zlevor at No. 3 singles and Jeremy Andereck at No. 6 didn’t drop a game en route to victories. Brian DeCorte lost only one game at No. 5 singles and Craig Sherwood dropped only two game in his victory at No. 4.

Jason Dunn also won in straight set at No. 2 singles.

Box score

Registration open for Viking Bench Golf Outing

APPLETON, Wis. — Registration is now open for the Lawrence University Viking Bench Golf Outing, which will be June 10 at Royal St. Patrick’s Golf Links.

Proceeds from the Viking Bench Golf Outing go directly to the Lawrence University Department of Athletics in support of the Vikings’ 22 varsity sports teams.

The outing includes 18 holes of golf in a four-person scramble format, use of the driving range, cart, a welcome gift, a cookout lunch, beverage tickets and dinner. Raffle tickets also will be sold and many great prizes will be offered at this year’s outing.

The cost of the outing is $100 per person. For those wishing to attend the dinner only, the cost is $30. If you wish to make a donation to the outing or have questions, please contact Joel DePagter at joel.t.depagter@lawrence.edu or at 920-993-6281.

To register, go to: http://www.lawrence.edu/athletics/golf/golfouting.shtml and click on the online registration link. You can also download a registration brochure and return it to: Lawrence University Department of Athletics, 711 E. Boldt Way, SPC 16, Appleton, WI, 54911-5699.

 

Inside LU Athletics: Strong group of seniors set to lead Vikings

The six seniors on the Lawrence University baseball team are banking on this season being worth the wait.

After struggling through a tough first two seasons with the Vikings, the core of the 2012 team was a group of juniors. Those players helped Lawrence put together a seven-game win streak, the longest since 1980, and the most victories (14) in a season since 2006.

“They are about as special a group of guys as there can be to me. They were my first recruiting class,” Lawrence coach Jason Anderson said. “We’ve been through some really hard times together, some real challenges. They’ve become better men because of it.”

The group of seniors is headed by four-year starters Gabe Henriques, Davide Harris and Phil Wisniewski. It also includes regulars Tanner DeBettencourt, Alex Brewer and Richie Foreman.

“They’ve learned every lesson that I hoped they would,” Anderson said. “I hoped that we could have won more games, but maybe we can remedy that this season.”

Lawrence, which opens its season on March 14 with 12 games in Fort Myers, Fla., went 14-21 a season ago and returns that core of seasoned players.

Henriques returns to start at shortstop after hitting .358 last season with five doubles, five triples, a homer and 25 runs batted in. Harris made the move from second base to left field last season and will again start in the outfield. Harris hit .309 last season and scored a team-best 37 runs. Harris, who had six doubles, three triples and 14 RBIs, also stole a team-high 17 bases.

Wisniewski and DeBettencourt join junior Marc Linger to form Lawrence’s catching trio. Wisniewski led this group by hitting .309 last season with 10 doubles, three homers and 21 RBIs.

Brewer started in right field last season and hit .244 with a pair of homers and 13 RBIs. He is likely to see more action on the mound this season after posting a 2-0 record in relief in 2012. Foreman, who has been a reserve throughout his career, will push for playing time in the outfield during his final season.

The Vikings also return a mix of veteran players and outstanding young talent.

Junior Sam Kossow is back at first base after hitting .306 with five doubles, a homer and 15 RBIs last season. Junior Aaron Benz will be in the mix at first base and right field after transferring from UW-Oshkosh.

Sophomore Joel Birch, who hit .263 and drove in 20 runs last season, will see action at second along with freshman Gabe Warshaw. Sophomore Davis Ogilvie is at third, along with sophomores Dan Taylor and Jake Zdrojewski.

Sophomore Jake Gordon started in center field last season and hit .337, drove in 13 runs and swiped 11 bases in 2012.

“We’re still very young in most key areas,” Anderson said. “I’m optimistic but our league is tough and playing in Wisconsin is tough so you have to come to play every day.”

Lawrence also returns a youthful but deep pitching staff. The Vikings used four freshmen as their starting rotation last season and all are back for 2013. That group of Atley Gay (2-2, 4.66 ERA), Andrew Doares (4-6, 6.09 ERA, two shutouts), Kelton Jenkins (2-4, 5.36 ERA) and Ogilvie (1-3, 7.01 ERA) form the backbone of the pitching staff.

“Our pitching staff is young but we are very experienced,” Anderson said.

The Vikings also return key relievers in John Doran, Phil Clark and Taylor. Brian King, who was the team’s No. 1 starter in 2011, also has returned to Lawrence to give the bullpen even more depth. Rookie Miles Link will see action from the bullpen and be a backup on the infield.

“My hope for this season is to be in every game we play,” Anderson said.

Two records fall

The Lawrence track team broke a pair of records at UW-Stevens Point Last Chance Meet this past Saturday.

Freshman JP Ranumas broke his own record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.67 seconds. He set the mark of 8.76 earlier this season.

The distance medley relay team of Dan Thoresen, Tyler Herman, Mike Mangian and Sam Stevens set a Lawrence record with a time of 10:25.97. That broke the record of 10:33.27 that Thoresen, Mangian, Stevens and Cam Blegen set back in 2011.

Fencers take 10th

The Lawrence fencing team turned in a solid 10th-place finish at the 21-team Midwest Fencing Conference Championships this past weekend at Notre Dame.

The top individual finisher for the Vikings was Graham Jones, who was 10th in men’s sabre. The sabre contingent also led the way for Lawrence by finishing fourth during the team tournament. The Vikings fell to Michigan 5-1 in the third-place match.

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.

 

Lawrence fencers take 10th at MFC Championships

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Lawrence University finished 10th at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships this past weekend at the University of Notre Dame.

Lawrence finished with 850 points among the 21 teams. Notre Dame won the title with 1,590 points.

In the individual portion of the tournament, the top finisher for the Vikings was Graham Jones. He finished 10th in men’s sabre. Other top finishers among the men were Alex Biehl, who took 18th in foil, and Moses Zarkin-Scott, who was 27th in epee.

On the women’s side, the top finisher was Shelby Guinn, who placed 15th in sabre. Katherine Ling grabbed 21st in foil, and Alyssa Rosenbaum was 29th in epee.

In the team tournament, men’s sabre led the way by finishing fourth. The Vikings defeated Detroit Mercy 5-1 and then topped the University of Chicago 5-3 in the quarterfinals. The Vikings then lost 5-2 to Ohio State in the semifinals and fell 5-1 to Michigan in the third-place match.

Men’s epee finished sixth after a 5-4 loss to Purdue in the fifth-place match. The Vikings defeated Illinois 5-2 before a 5-1 loss to Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Lawrence rebounded to beat Michigan 5-3 to earn a berth in the fifth-place match.

Men’s foil finished 16th after a 5-2 loss to Oberlin in the 15th-place match.

On the women’s side, foil led the Vikings with a ninth-place finish. The Vikings opened with a 5-2 loss to Michigan State, but the Vikings came back to beat Cleveland State 5-1 and Bowling Green 5-2 to get a spot in the ninth-place match. The Vikings then beat Xavier 5-2 for ninth.

Women’s epee finished 13th by defeated Case Western Reserve 5-1 in the 13th-place match. The Vikings defeated Wisconsin 5-1 to open play but lost to Northwestern and Oberlin before bouncing back to beat Xavier 5-3.