UW-La Crosse 6, UW-Stout 0 |
UW-La Crosse 14, UW-Stout 6
MENOMONIE (April 20, 2021) - UW-Stout is scheduled to meet UW-La Crosse six times this week, but the Blue Devils did not get off on the right foot with the Eagles, dropping both ends of the conference doubleheader, 6-0, 14-6, on a cold, breezy Tuesday in Menomonie.
In the opener, the first several innings were a pitchers' battle between UW-Stout's
James Palmer and UW-La Crosse's Zach Pronschinske. The Eagles stroked out two slow rolling infield hits in the first inning, but otherwise Palmer kept La Crosse (14-8, 7-7 WIAC) off the board until the fifth inning. Pronschinske put the first six Stout (10-10, 7-7 WIAC) hitters down in order until hitting the first batter of the third inning. Pronschinske kept Stout off the scoreboard for the entire game, though, while the Eagles got to Palmer with two runs in the fifth inning.
The Eagles forced Palmer to one of his largest pitch counts of the season, several times working him to full counts, and fouling several additional balls back. La Crosse got a run in the seventh inning, Palmer's final inning of work, then added a run in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Stout threatened to break up the shutout in the bottom of the ninth.
Joel Thimsen opened the inning with a double, but was stranded at third base to close the game.
Palmer allowed six hits and three runs, all earned. He added to his strikeout total with four strikeouts, but surrendered a season-high four walks. Pronschinske went the distance, striking out nine.
Thimsen,
Kasey Bass,
Hunter Merrill and
Dan Deis each had one of Stout's four hits.
The Eagles finished with eight hits, with Jonathan Wizner getting three hits and a pair of RBI.
In the nightcap, the Eagles ran through five different Stout pitchers, collecting 15 hits.
The Eagles scored three runs in the second inning, but Stout got their first runs of the day, scoring two runs when
Colin Hageman had a sacrifice fly and
Paul Weise had an RBI single. Stout tied the score in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by
Alex Jinkins. La Crosse took the lead back with a three-run fifth inning. Stout added a run in the fifth when when Merrill plated Thimsen.
The Eagles got that run back in the sixth innings, then took control with a six-run seventh inning. Back-to-back singles by
Kasey Bass and Merrill, assisted by a few wild pitches, gave Stout a two-run seventh, but it was too little, too late.
Stout was able to get the bat on the ball, recording 10 hits. But Stout also stranded 11 runners.
Merrill was 3 for 5 with two RBI. Bass and
Charlie Szykowny both had two hits.
Brennan Schmitt was 4 for 5 with three RBI to lead Stout. No. 9 hitter Parker Plume was 3 for 5 with three RBI. Shane Coker and Ethan Gerstner each had two hits.
The teams will meet again Friday, April 23 in La Crosse and Saturday, April 24 in Menomonie.
