Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 La Crosse, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team split a pair of games with UW-Stout Saturday afternoon at Copeland Park. The Eagles fell in game one, 4-3, before coming back to take the nightcap, 11-10, behind a three-run ninth inning capped off by a Carter Hoffman walk-off single. UW-L moves to 16-8 overall and 9-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while UW-Stout is 14-11 overall and 2-8 in the conference. The Eagles now lead the all-time series, 119-82, with the Blue Devils.

In the opener, the game went four scoreless innings until UW-Stout's Charlie Meyer hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth scoring Chris Biederman to make it 2-0. The Blue Devils' Brady Burzynski added a solo home run later in the inning to push the lead to 3-0. UW-L responded with two runs in its half of the fifth as Eric Vatch and Nic Barnes scored on a UW-Stout error.

The Blue Devils took a 4-2 lead in the top of the eighth after Nick Nalbach singled up the middle to score Burzynski. The Eagles got the run back in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to 4-3 with Joel Zyhowski scoring on Justin Anderson's single.  UW-L had the bases-loaded with no outs in the bottom of the eighth, but UW-Stout's Austin Booher came in and retired three straight batters to end the inning. 

UW-L had the tying run at second with two outs in the ninth, but Booher retired Alex Cordova on a groundout to end the game.

Joe Miller (4-1) suffered the loss for UW-L, pitching 7.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs while striking out four.  Jake Stern went 1.2 innings, allowing one walk with one strikeout. 

Taylor Kohlwey went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Cordova finished 2-for-5.  The Eagles had no extra base hits while the Blue Devils had five.

Zach Carlson (4-3) earned the win for UW-Stout, going 7.0 innings allowing eight hits, three runs (one earned) and one walk with four strikeouts.  Booher picked up his fourth save of the year, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing one walk with one strikeout.

Burzynski went 4-for-4 with a home run, double, and scored twice for the Blue Devils.

UW-Stout put up two unearned runs in the top of the first inning in the nightcap.  UW-L answered right back in the bottom of the first with three runs on four hits. Bryce Barsness singled to score Cordova to cut the lead to 2-1 and Ben Morgan's groundout scored Kohlwey to tie the game.  Nic Barnes followed with an RBI single knocking in Barsness to give the Eagles their first lead in the doubleheader. 

UW-L added a run in the second and third innings to take a 5-2 lead. Kohlwey's sacrifice fly scored Hoffman in the bottom of the second while Barnes' single knocked in Barsness in the third. 

UW-Stout regained the lead with five runs on six hits in the top of the fourth.  Austin Littman and Jack Schneider each hit RBI singles to cut the lead to 5-4 before Nick Nalback's two-run double gave the Blue Devils a 6-5 advantage.  Charlie Meyer's fielder's choice scored the final run of the inning and a 7-5 UW-Stout lead.  UW-L tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kohlwey hit a solo home run and Barsness scored on a Barnes single. 

The Blue Devils grabbed the lead at 8-7 in the top of the sixth as Brown scored on Schneider's double play.  The Eagles tied it at 8-8 in the bottom of the sixth.  Kohlwey walked to start the inning and advanced to second a wild pitch.  He then scored on Anderson's single up the middle. 

Brown's sacrifice fly scored Meyer in the top of the seventh inning for a 9-8 UW-Stout lead.  The Blue Devils added to their lead in the ninth as Meyer scored on Biderman's single to make it 10-8 and setting up the Eagles' rally in the bottom of the ninth.  Morgan singled to start the frame and was replaced by pinch-runner Nate Roethle.  Barnes' double advanced Roethle to third.  Zyhowski followed with a two-run single up the middle to knock in Roethle and Barnes to tie the game.  Travis Buxton-Verstegen's sacrifice bunt moved Zyhowski to second and Hoffman followed with the walk-off single up the middle. 

Stern (2-1) was credited with the win in the nightcap, pitching 2.2 innings of relielf.  He allowed three hits, one run (unearned) and one walk while striking out three.  Troy Kenkel started for the Eagles, going 3.1 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs (five earned) and two walks with five strikeouts.

Barnes went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBI in the nightcap while Barsness finished 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI. Morgan, Hoffman, and Cordova each went 2-for-5 while Zyhowski finished 2-for-3 with two RBI. 

Booher (1-1) suffered the loss for UW-Stout, pitching 0.1 of an inning, allowing four hits and three runs.  Kellen Pearson started for the Blue Devils, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs.

Dicus finished 4-for-5 while Nalbach and Meyer each went 2-for-5 for UW-Stout

The teams will play another doubleheader Sunday, April 19 starting at 11 a.m.  The doubleheader was moved up from noon due to the weather forecast.