The Highlights

Scores, news and more from Lawrence University Athletics

Sherwood takes second to pace Vikings at MWC Championships

MADISON, Wis. — Freshman Craig Sherwood took second place at No. 5 singles to pace the Lawrence University men’s tennis team at the Midwest Conference Championships this weekend.

Lawrence finished fifth in the team standings with 38 points. Grinnell College won the team title.

Sherwood opened play with a 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Charlie Wilhelm of Grinnell. Sherwood then beat Kevin Lasky of Lake Forest College 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 in the semifinals. Monmouth College’s Chris Utterback beat Sherwood 6-0, 6-1 in the championship match.

The other top finishers for the Vikings were Cooper Smith and Jeremy Andereck. Smith reached the semifinals at No. 4, and Andereck lost in three sets in the semifinals at No. 6.

In the other flights, Jason Dunn lost in the quarterfinals at No. 1 and then lost by default in the consolation semifinals. Max Zlevor reached the consolation final at No. 2 before falling to Karolis Ruzgas of Knox College 8-4. Caleb Ray beat Knox’s Jonathan Ng 8-2 to win the consolation final at No. 3.

In the doubles competition, Lawrence won the consolation title at both Nos. 2 and 3.

At No. 2, Ray and Smith bounced back from a loss in the quarterfinals to win the consolation title. Ray and Cooper defeated Derrick Winterhack and Sam Ewig of Ripon 8-2 in the consolation final. At No. 3, Sherwood and Andereck also lost in the quarterfinals but came back to beat Lasky and Tommy White of Lake Forest 8-0 in the consolation final.

At No. 1 doubles, Dunn and Zlevor were eliminated in the championship semfinals.

 

Results

Olsson, Thoren pace Vikings at Lawrence Invitational

HORTONVILLE, Wis. — Anton Olsson shot 82 and William Thoren carded a career-low round on Saturday to pace the Lawrence University golf team at the Lawrence Invitational.

Olsson shot 82 and Thoren shot 84 to lead the Vikings to a team score of 344 on the par-72 layout at Eagle Creek Golf Club. Tyler Clark came in at 86 for the Vikings and Zach Joseph and Derek Brickan both shot 92 to round out the scoring.

Paul Zuke shot 97 and Evan Link carded a 109 for the Vikings as well.

St. Norbert College took the team title with a score of 308, and the Green Knights’ Nic Vrubley was the medalist with a 75. Lawrence took fourth in the team standings.

Results

 

 

 

Vikings endure pair of heartbreaking losses to Elmhurst

The Lawrence University softball team endured a pair of heartbreaking losses to Elmhurst College on Saturday at Whiting Field.

Elmhurst won the opener 4-1 and took the nightcap 8-7.

Lawrence (8-21) led 1-0 in the opener before Tiffany Potthast hit a one-out grand slam in the seventh to lift Elmhurst (24-13) to the win.

Rose Wysocki went 3-for-4 for the Bluejays in the opener, and Potthast pitched the final two innings to pick up the win.

Shannon Murray went the distance and took the loss for the Vikings. She allowed nine hits, struck out one and walked one. Kara Vance went 2-for-3 to pace the Lawrence offense.

In the nightcap, Lawrence built a 6-0 lead thanks to some shoddy defense and poor pitching from the Bluejays.

The Vikings scored four runs in the first on only one hit, and that hit didn’t figure into the scoring. Lawrence loaded the bases on two walks and an error. A passed ball scored Cory Paquette and a throwing error by the catcher on the play allowed Alex Chiodo to score. Scarlett Pucci then uncorked a wild pitch and Murray scored to put the Vikings up 3-0. Cathy Kaye then walked, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

Lawrence scored two more times in the second when Chiodo walked and scored when Coley LaChance’s single got past Potthast in left field. Vance later singled to score LaChance to put the Vikings up 6-0.

Lawrence led 7-1 when the Bluejays scored five times on six hits in the fifth inning to cut the margin to 7-6. The Vikings then escaped a major jam in the sixth when the Vikings threw out two runners at the plate, including a strike from Kaye in center field to end the inning.

Potthast got the winning rally going in the seventh when she reached on an infield single with one out. Murray then got a fly out and had a 1-2 count on Clare Bukowski when she blasted a two-run homer to put Elmhurst up 8-7.

Lindsay Nauman, who pitched 5 1/3 innings of one-hit relief, set the Vikings down in order in the seventh to seal the win.

Potthast went 3-for-4, scored two runs and drove in two runs for the Bluejays.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Stevens, Dockery turn in impressive times at Hillsdale

HILLSDALE, Mich. — Sam Stevens and Kyle Dockery both turned in impressive times on Friday at the Hillsdale College Invitational.

Running in races filled with Division I and Division II athletes, Stevens finished 17th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:19.38, but the race wasn’t without incident for the Lawrence junior. With just over 200 meters left, Stevens fell while clearing the final barrier. Stevens got up and continued the race but lost about 10 seconds because of the incident.

Dockery finished 25th in the 10,000 meters in his first attempt at that race this season. The freshman ran a time of 31:53.78, and that is the best time by a Midwest Conference runner this season by more than 20 seconds.

The remainder of the Lawrence team competes on Saturday at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.

Vikings split doubleheader with Finlandia

The Lawrence University softball team cruised to a win in the opener on Thursday, but Finlandia University took the nightcap to split a nonconference doubleheader at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (8-19) won the opener 9-1 in six innings, and Finlandia (24-8) took the second game 9-4.

In the opener, Shannon Murray went the distance to pick up the win. She allowed only four hits and one unearned run. Murray struck out four and walked one.

Cathy Kaye powered the Lawrence offense by going 3-for-3. Murray and Alissa Geipel both went 2-for-3 and each drove in a pair of runs.

Lawrence took a 3-1 lead with three runs in the second. Geipel drove in Kara Vance with a run-scoring single to tie the game at 1-1, and Kaye then scored on a passed ball. Brittany Garland then uncorked a wild pitch to score Geipel and give Lawrence a two-run edge.

Lawrence added a run in the fourth on Geipel’s RBI single, and the Vikings pulled away with three runs in the fifth. The Vikings loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a hit batsman, and Murray followed with a two-run single to put Lawrence up 6-1. Kaye later singled up the middle to score Murray to make it 7-1.

Lawrence ended the game on the mercy rule with two runs in the sixth. Lawrence had two runners aboard when Coley LaChance dumped a two-run double down the right field line to end the game.

Garland allowed 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings and took the loss.

In the nightcap, Finlandia collected 12 hits and took advantage of three Lawrence errors to pull away. Garland went the distance to get the win. Garland also went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, and she scored two runs and drove in a pair.

Garland led off the game with a homer, and Finlandia manufactured a run in the second to go up 2-0. The Lions then scored four times in the third with only one hit, but they took advantage of two errors and a wild pitch to go up 6-1.

Finlandia added three runs in the fourth with Garland, Sam Walters and Ashley Benavidez all picking up run-scoring singles to give the Lions a 9-1 lead. Lawrence trimmed the lead to 9-2 with Kaye’s RBI single in the fourth, and the Vikings added two more runs in the seventh for the final margin.

Kaye went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs for the Vikings in the nightcap. Kara Vance made the start and took the loss after pitching only 2 1/3 innings.

Lawrence plays its final home doubleheader on Saturday when it hosts Elmhurst College.

Game one box score

Game two box score

 

 

Big inning helps Lawrence cut down Lumberjacks

A big third inning lifted the Lawrence University baseball team to a 6-4 nonconference victory over Northland College on Wednesday at Whiting Field.

The Vikings (13-14) scored all six of their runs in the third inning and have now won their last seven nonconference games.

Eric Bohling went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on his second home run of the season to lead the Vikings. Freshman outfielder Jake Gordon went 3-for-4 for Lawrence.

Sophomore John Doran worked three innings of relief to pick up his first career victory. Doran allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one. Phil Clark worked a perfect ninth to get his second save of the season.

Shane Ellias started and lasted only 2 2/3 innings. He allowed all six runs and took the loss for Northland (12-19).

Northland led 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third when Gabe Henriques started the rally with a one-out single. Bohling followed with a homer down the left field line to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead.

After Joel Birch walked and Phil Wisniewski singled, Sam Kossow singled to score Birch. Gordon laid down a bunt single, but a throwing error on the play allowed Wisniewski to score. Another error allowed Marc Linger to reach and Kossow and Gordon both scored on that play to put Lawrence up 6-2.

Northland added a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh, but Kelton Jenkins came on in relief to shut down the rally in the seventh. Dan Taylor worked a scoreless eighth, and Clark worked a 1-2-3 ninth, including striking out the final batter to get the save.

Lawrence returns to Midwest Conference play when it travels to St. Norbert College on Saturday for a doubleheader.

Box score

 

Inside LU Athletics: Young pitchers showing the way for Vikings

The odds of having a successful baseball season with a starting staff made up of four freshmen are slightly better than the Publisher’s Clearinghouse prize van pulling into your driveway.

Lawrence University baseball coach Jason Anderson may want to consider buying a lottery ticket because he picked some winners this spring. With four first-year players in the starting rotation and another two freshmen playing key roles out of the bullpen, Lawrence seems to have turned a corner where its pitching staff is concerned.

The Vikings are 12-14 entering play this week, and Lawrence is 4-4 in the Midwest Conference’s North Division. With half of the conference games complete, Lawrence is battling for a spot in the MWC Tournament.

“All we talk about is throwing strikes,” Anderson said. “If we believe in that, we are just fine. The end result is we’ve had two shutouts this season.”

Starters Drew Doares, Kelton Jenkins, Atley Gay and Davis Ogilvie have combined with relievers Phil Clark and Dan Taylor to form a formidable freshmen force.

“They’ve made a nice progression, and we’ve really cut down our ERA this season,” Andersons said. “We want to have the hitters get themselves out.

On or out in four pitches is our mantra.”

Lawrence’s earned run average went from 11.18 in 2011 to 6.21 thus far in 2012. The more innings these young hurlers log, the lower that ERA is going. Since the team returned from its spring break trip to Florida, the ERA is 5.64 over the last 16 games.

The other big change from a season ago is the number of free passes issued by Lawrence. The Vikings walked an average of 7.3 batters per nine innings in 2011, and that is down to 5.5 in 2012.

“Our pitchers have been doing as well as can be expected,” said Jenkins, a native of Bainbridge Island, Wash., with a 2-3 record and 4.91 ERA. “We’ve had some great coaching, and there are a lot of people pushing us every day to improve. I knew coming in that we were going to be a pretty talented group, but we have truly risen to the occasion as a pitching staff and rallied behind each other.”

Gay, who hails from nearby Manitowoc, Wis., leads the team with a 3.48 ERA and has a 2-0 record on the season. He was chosen as the MWC Pitcher of the Week after picking up his first career win and save recently.

Doares, who came to Lawrence from Holly Springs, N.C., has a team-best three wins and a 4.46 ERA. He has struck out a team-best 28 and posted his first career shutout, a five-hit, 1-0 win over Beloit last Saturday. Ogilvie is the hardest thrower in the group and has a 1-3 mark with a 7.46 ERA.

“They are all very different and that’s why the staff is very good,” Anderson said.

Clark has posted a 2-1 record with a save and a 4.66 ERA while working strictly in relief. Clark, an Omro, Wis., native whose brothers Louie and Jordan were both stars for the Vikings, came in as a position player but has found a home in the bullpen. Taylor, who came from a very small California high school, has pitched from the bullpen and played in the field. He is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA.

“I didn’t think I would have six,” Anderson said. “The reality is that I thought three of them would be huge contributors this year.”

After winning only three games a season ago, the Vikings are four times better than that already this season. Lawrence also split the four-game series with both defending conference champion Ripon College and defending North Division champ Beloit. The pitching has been a big part of that, and Jenkins believes this young group will continue to improve.

“We can be as good as we want,” Jenkins said. “I see the sky as the limit. As long as we keep pitching with confidence, good things will happen. The goal for this year was to make it to (the conference tournament) so I’m pretty focused on that, but I imagine we’ll only go up from there, especially as we get more college experience under our belts.”

Anderson said it is up to the pitchers to decide their level of excellence.

“The answer lies within the guys,” Anderson said. “It depends on how hard they work in the off-season. My goal for those guys is to be pushing to be on the all-conference team. Baseball is about pitching and they are all buying into it.”

Streaking Vikings

Lawrence saw its baseball win streak stop at seven games after winning the opening game of last Saturday’s doubleheader against Beloit. That matches the seven-game win streak the 1980 squad put together.

Running with the big boys

Sam Stevens and Kyle Dockery will face their toughest competition of the season when they travel to the Hillsdale College Gina Relays this week.

Stevens will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday, and Dockery will run the 10,000 meters on Thursday against an elite field featuring multiple Division I athletes. Stevens is coming off a win in the steeplechase at UW-La Crosse last Friday, and Dockery won the 5,000 last Saturday at St. Norbert.

Tennis records fall

The women’s tennis team beat UW-Stevens Point 8-1 last Saturday to set a season record for victories. Lawrence finished 14-8 to top the record of 13 wins set in 2005 and again in 2008.

Senior No. 1 singles player Beth Larson finished her season with an impressive 24-3 record and eclipsed the season wins record of 21 set by Appleton native Linda Tomtshak in 1985.

Feeling left out

The men’s tennis team tied for first place in the North Division with Carroll University and St. Norbert. All three teams had a 2-1 record and a 1-1 mark against each other, but Lawrence came up short in the tiebreaker of total matches won.

Carroll and St. Norbert won the tiebreaker and will play in the four-team MWC Tournament on Friday. Lawrence will go for individual singles and doubles titles on Saturday and Sunday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis.

Lawrence finished sixth in the MWC Championships a season ago.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a 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.

Olsson cards 76 to pace Lawrence at Carroll Invitational

NORTH PRAIRIE, Wis. — Anton Olsson carded a four-over par 76 to lead the Lawrence University golf team on Sunday at the Carroll Invitational.

Olsson tied for 15th place and Lawrence finished sixth with a team score of 348.

Derek Brickan shot 88, Brad Scurfield carded a 91 and Tyler Clark shot 93 to round out the scoring for the Vikings.

Carthage won the team title with a score of 299.

Shutout lifts Vikings to split against Beloit

BELOIT, Wis. — Atley Gay and Phil Clark combined on a five-hit shutout in the opener, and the Lawrence University baseball team split a Midwest Conference doubleheader with Beloit College on Sunday.

Lawrence (12-14, 4-4 MWC) won the opener 4-0 and Beloit (15-16, 7-5) took the nightcap 9-0. The teams split the four-game series this weekend.

In the first game, Gay allowed only four hits over 6 2/3 innings to improve to 2-0 on the season. Gay struck out three and walked three. Clark picked up his first career save by working the final 2 1/3 innings. He gave up one hit, struck out two and didn’t walk a batter.

Lawrence rapped out 12 hits in the opener, and Sam Kossow went 3-for-4 to lead the attack. Gabe Henriques, Joel Birch and Phil Wisniewski all had two hits for the Vikings.

The Vikings broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Wisniewski singled and then scored on Kossow’s double.

Lawrence pushed the lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the fifth. Davide Harris got things started with a two-out single, and Henriques followed with a run-scoring double. Eric Bohling then belted another double to score Henriques for a 3-0 edge.

The Vikings added an insurance run in the ninth when Henriques walked and later scored on Birch’s single.

Andrew Edwards worked 6 2/3 innings and took the loss for Beloit.

Jim Leyhane and Al Loth combined on a shutout for Beloit in the nightcap. Leyhane allowed only three hits over five innings, and Loth tossed four innings of one-hit relief to pick up the save.

Davis Ogilvie lasted only 1 2/3 innings and took the loss.

Beloit pulled out to a 7-0 lead by scoring twice in the first, three times in the second and twice in the third.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Vikings left out in the cold despite victory over St. Norbert

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Lawrence University men’s tennis team beat St. Norbert College 5-4 on Sunday at Western Racquet Club, but a three-way tie means the Vikings will not make the Midwest Conference Tournament.

Lawrence (9-12, 2-1 MWC), St. Norbert (5-12, 2-1) and Carroll University all ended in a three-way tie for first place in the North Division, but St. Norbert and Carroll will play in the four-team conference tournament next Friday.

Since the three teams all went 1-1 against each other, the tiebreaker was individual matches won and Lawrence was the odd man out in that scenario.

The singles players gave Lawrence the win over St. Norbert on Sunday. Lawrence won only one doubles match, Jason Dunn and Max Zlevor at No. 1, but won four of the six singles matches.

Dunn (No. 1), Caleb Ray (No. 3), Cooper Smith (No. 4) and Craig Sherwood (No. 5) all won singles matches for Lawrence.

Box score