It seems only fitting after playing three games with football like scores, that the fourth game of the weekend Whitewater-Platteville series would end in a football-like tie. It took Mother Nature to stop the dizzying pace of run scoring after Whitewater won game one 15-13. Game two Sunday ended in a 6-6 tie when rain cooled down the hot bats and stopped the game after seven innings.

Whitewater scored early, and often, in game one. The Warhawks scored one in the first, three in the second, six in the third and one more in the fourth to lead 11-3 after four innings. Bill Gorman (C, senior, Wauwatosa/East) stroked a two run double in the third and Jordan Stine (CF, sophomore, Merrill) added a two run homer in the same frame.

Taking a 12-5 lead in to the bottom of the seventh, the bottom fell out. UW-P erupted for seven runs, combining five hits with three walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch to tie the game.

After a scoreless eighth, a rarity in this series, Whitewater used five singles, including Thomas Corcoran's (DH, junior, Rochester, Minn.) two-run game winner, to go up 15-12. Platteville scored once in the bottom of the ninth, and had the tying run at the plate, when Greg Harder (junior, Waukesha/West), normally the Warhawks' shortstop, closed the game. Harder, the fifth UW-W pitcher in the game, earned his first save.

Ben Prather (1B, junior, Schaumburg, Ill.) went 4x6 for the Warhawks, also driving in three and scoring three runs. Platteville shortstop Jerod Haxton was 4x5 with three runs scored, and UW-P second baseman Jacob Bandy drove in four runs.

Platteville scored three in second inning of game two to grab the lead. After trading runs it was 6-4 Platteville going in to the seventh inning with weather threatening to end the game. Prather opened Whitewater's half of the seventh with a double and, after one out, Stine and Corcoran drew back to back walks to load the bases. Billy Johnson (2B, junior, Kenosha/Tremper) hit a ball to deep right center that the fielder caught, running away from the plate, and Prather scored on the sacrifice fly. UW-W coach John Vodenlich then sent Stine in behind Prather with the tying runs scoring on Johnson's sacrifice fly.

With the rain coming down harder, Platteville loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh. Greg Riek (R, junior, Markesan) came in to pitch for UW-W to get a strikeout and a pop up to keep the game from slipping in to the loss column.

Whitewater is 14-11-1 overall and 7-6-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Platteville is 10-15-2 and 3-9-1 in league play.

UW-W will play at UW-Oshkosh Wednesday, with the doubleheader beginning at 1:00. The next home date for the Warhawks is Thursday, May 2 with Marian College visiting Prucha Field for a twinbill starting at 1:00.

For additional information:
John Vodenlich, UW-W coach, 262-472-1420
UW-W baseball site: www.uww.edu/athletics/mbaseball
WIAC baseball site: www.uwsa.edu/wiac/baseball