Box Score Whitewater, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team fell 6-4 in 10 innings at top-seeded and third-ranked UW-Whitewater Saturday afternoon in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.  With the win by the Warhawks, the teams will face other in a second championship game Saturday starting at 6:25 p.m.  The winner will earn the WIAC's automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships.

UW-L, receiving votes on this week's American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III Poll and the second-seed for this weekend's league championships, falls to 26-15 with Saturday's loss.  The Eagles have won 15 of their last 17 games overall.  UW-L earned a pair of victories in the WIAC Championships May 9, defeating third-seeded and 14th-ranked UW-Stevens Point (2-1) and UW-Whitewater (12-3).

UW-Whitewater improves to 35-7 on the year with its second win of the day Saturday.  The Warhawks earned a 8-1 victory over UW-Stevens Point in an elimination game to advance to the championship contest.

UW-L took a 3-0 lead in the bottom fo second inning Saturday afternoon.  Alex Cordova doubled to start the inning and scored on Joel Zyhowski's RBI single to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.  Josh Rowles followed with a single and Nic Barnes advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt.   Taylor Kohlwey singled to knock in Zyhowski and Rowles scored on the play after a UW-Whitewater throwing error to make it 3-0.

The Warhawks cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth as Mikole Pierce tripled and scored on a Michael Gonzalez RBI double.  UW-Whitewater trailed 3-2 with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Dylan Friend singled with one out and stole second.  He advanced to third on a groundout and came in on a Gonzalez single.

UW-Whitewater took a 4-3 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning.  Trey Cannon singled to start the inning and Adam Gregory was hit-by-pitch.  Both runners moved up on a Dylan Bersch sacrifice bunt.  Jared Fon tied the game with an RBI groundout to score Cannon and Friend gave the Warhawks their first lead of the game on a double to knock in Gregory.

UW-L tied the game in the bottom of the eighth.  Cole Cefalu was hit-by-pitch to open the inning followed by a Travis Buxton-Verstegen infield single.  Cordova then reached on a fielder's choice bunt to load the bases with no outs.  After a pitching change and UW-L strikeout, Zyhowski tied the contest with a sacrifice fly to bring in Cefalu.

The Warhawks earned the win with a pair of runs in the top of the 10th.  Friend singled to open the inning and Pierce walked.  After a UW-L pitching change, Gonzalez was hit-by-pitch to load the bases with no outs.  Friend was forced out at home on Casey Power's fielder's choice for the first out of the inning.  Nick Kuhlmann struck out for the second out of the inning, but Cannon's two-run single scored Pierce and Gonzalez with the go-ahead runs.  Cefalu singled to star the bottom of the 10th for UW-L, but the next three batters were retired.

Jameson Sadowske (2-1) suffered the loss for UW-L, pitching 3.1 innings in relief.  He allowed five hits, four runs and one walk while striking out one.  Joe Miller started for the Eagles, going 5.2 innings, allowing six hits, two runs and one walk with one strikeout.  Jameson Lavery pitched 1.0 inning, allowing one hit with two strikeouts.

Cefalu finished 3-for-3 with a run scored while Josh Rowles went 2-for-4 with a run scored.  Zyhowski had two RBI.

Colin Grove (3-0) picked up the win for UW-Whitewater, pitching 3.0 innings in relief.  He allowed one hit with four strikeouts.  Curtis Morgan started for the Warhawks, going 7.0 innings, allowing eight hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks while striking out three.

Gonzalez went 4-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI while Friend and Cannon each finished 3-for-5 with a run scored.  Cannon had two RBI and Friend one.