Blue Devil baseball wins one, loses one in slugfest with La Crosse

UW-La Crosse 11, UW-Stout 9 | UW-Stout 18, UW-La Crosse 8 (7 inn)

MENOMONIE (April 24, 2021) - UW-Stout tallied 25 total hits and worked their way through eight different UW-La Crosse pitchers, but had to settle for a split in the non-conference doubleheader with the Eagles Saturday at Nelson Field.

The Eagles (16-10) used a four-run ninth inning to capture an 11-9 win, but after allowing La Crosse a 3-0 lead after the top of the first inning. Stout (12-12) scored 17 runs in the first three innings to take an 18-8 win in the second game.

In the opener, the Eagles scored in the first inning on a first pitch of the game home run by Connor Roesler. Stout answered that with a leadoff home run by Riley Boushack in the second inning. 

The Eagles took a 2-1 lead in the third, but Stout retaliated with a five-run third inning. The Blue Devils recorded five hits to rack up the five runs. Hunter Merrill, Kasey Bass, and Justin Schnell each drove in a run and the Blue Devils also scored two unearned runs. Another run by the Eagles in the fifth made it 6-3 Stout. The Eagles took the lead with a three run home run by Mac Born in the seventh and added another run in the eighth for a 7-6 lead. 

Kasey Bass smacked a two-run home run to right field in the eighth inning to push Stout ahead 8-7. But La Crosse scored runs in the top of the ninth to run out an 11-8 lead. Stout got one run back in the bottom of the ninth on Charlie Szykowny's sacrifice fly. 

Bass was 3 for 4 with three RBI to lead Stout. Drew Ries was 2 for 5 as Stout recorded 10 hits. The got two runs each from Zach Carney, Shane Coker and Ty Hamilton. 

The Eagles scored three runs in the first inning of Game Two, but Stout scored 17 consecutive runs over the first three innings of the game. 

After Stout spotted La Crosse a 3-0 lead, Stout came back with a five-run first inning. Szykowny batted around in the first inning, scoring Stout's first run on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a single. Colin Hageman hit a two-run double, Reece Vold drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Szykowny drove in a run in his second at-bat of the inning.

Stout did themselves a couple of runs better in the second inning, scoring seven runs while sending 10 batters to the plate. Hageman hit his second RBI double in as many innings to highlight the inning. Merrill also had a two-run double. 

The third inning was a five-run affair. Ryan Herbst's single to shortstop plated the first run of the stanze. Vold walked with the bases loaded to drive in his second run of the game. Szykowny drove in a run on a groundout and Merrill hit his second two-run double of the game to make the score 17-3. 

The Eagles scored three runs in the fourth inning as Logan Pye had a two-run double. La Crosse added another un in the fifth to pull to within 17-7. 

Jack Shirpke gave Stout a little breathing room with his first collegiate home run to lead off the sixth. The Eagles seriously threatened to extend the game in the seventh inning. Jack Olver doubled to drive in a run and the Eagles left the bases loaded as the game ended.

Stout chalked up 15 hits in the contest, matching the 15 hits they had a day earlier against the Eagles.

Merrill was 3 for 3 with four RBI and one run scored. Hegeman was 3 for 5 with three runs scored and four RBI. Szykowny and Drew Ries each had two host, with Szykowny driving in two runs and Ries one.

Brennan Schmitt and Jack Olver each had three hits for the Eagles.

Logan Hile earned the win with four strikeouts.

Stout will be at UW-Whitewater, Wednesday, April 28, then will host the Warhawks, Saturday, May 1.