RIVER FALLS – In their first meeting since 2002 The UW-Stout baseball team (8-12, 6-4) swept a midweek doubleheader against UW-River Falls (8-11, 3-7) on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at First National Bank Field in River Falls. The Blue Devils rolled to a 16-8 triumph in Game 1 and held off a late Falcons rally for an 8-6 win in Game 2.
Game 1: UW-Stout 16, UW-River Falls 8
Stout's bats erupted for 16 runs on 16 hits, led by junior shortstop
Leyten Bowers, who fell a single shy of the cycle. Bowers finished 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and home run, driving in four runs and scoring four times in a dominant performance. The Blue Devils struck early, plating four runs in the first inning, sparked by Bowers' RBI double and
Justin Sedin's run-scoring single. A three-run second inning, highlighted by Bowers' solo homer to left center, pushed the lead to 7-2.
River Falls battled back with two runs in each of the first three innings and two more in the fifth, cutting the deficit to 10-8. However, Stout answered with a four-run sixth and two more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Kevin Zanin,
Billy Jones, Sedin, and
Austin Miller each contributed multiple hits, with the top five in the lineup combining for 12 hits and 11 RBI. Stout batters worked eight walks and were hit by pitches five times.
On the mound,
Nick Van Beek (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings, while
Nathan Weckop secured his first save of the season with three shutout frames, allowing four hits but keeping the Falcons off the board. Starter
Luke Carrier battled through 4.1 innings, striking out four, allowing five earned.
Game 2: UW-Stout 8, UW-River Falls 6
The nightcap proved a tighter contest, with Stout pulling away late to complete the sweep. After a scoreless first two innings,
Billy Jones got the Blue Devils on the board with an RBI double in the third, scoring
Kevin Zanin. The floodgates opened in the fifth when
AJ Kargel crushed a grand slam to right center, capping a five-run frame that gave Stout a 6-0 lead. Jones added a two-run homer in the sixth, pushing the advantage to 8-2.
River Falls mounted a comeback, scoring four runs in the fifth, However, the Stout bullpen slammed the door shut.
Quintin Gonzalez (1-1) earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings, and
Drew Buss notched his first save of the season, tossing two shutout innings and allowing just one hit and striking out two.
Offensively, Zanin (2-for-5, two runs), Jones (2-for-5, two HRs, two RBI), and Miller (3-for-4, one RBI) paced the Blue Devils, who racked up 13 hits.
Looking Ahead
Riding the momentum of the sweep, UW-Stout prepares for a four-game WIAC series against UW-Stevens Point on April 12-13 in Stevens Point, Wis.
