Box Score Appleton, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team earned a 10-7 victory over Trinity University (Texas) Tuesday night in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The Eagles, making their first appearance in the NCAA III World Series, improve to 36-14 on the season and advance to the best-of-three championship series with the State University of New York at Cortland beginning later Tuesday night.  Trinity (Texas), also making its first trip to the NCAA III Championship, ends its season at 40-14.

Trinity (Texas) forced a second pool B championship game Tuesday after a 16-6 victory over UW-L Monday night in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
 
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first Tuesday as Jeremy Wolf and Drew Butler singled with two outs followed by a Carter McEachern double down the left field line to score Wolf.

After UW-L left the bases loaded in the top of the second, Trinity (Texas) added to its lead in the bottom of the inning.  Austin Singer tripled to start the inning and scored on Nick Jewett's ground out to make it 2-0.  Brody Fehmel and Connor Moore singled and advanced to second and third on Colin Serkowski's fly out to center field.  Wolf then walked to load the bases and Fehmel came in on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead.

The Eagles cut the lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth. Bryce Barsness and Shane Adler singled to start the inning and later scored on Eric Vatch's two-run single to right field.

UW-L took the lead in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs.  Barsness doubled to start the inning followed by a Adler walk.  Travis Buxton-Verstegen then reached on a bunt single to load the bases.  The Eagles scored on a pair of ground outs to take the lead with Barsness scoring on Joel Zyhowski's fielder's choice to tie the game at 3-3 and Adler scoring on pinch-hitter Carter Hoffman's fielder's choice for a 4-3 lead.

The Eagles extended their lead to 9-3 with five runs in the top of the seventh.  Taylor Kohlwey walked to start the rally and advanced to second on Justin Anderson's fielder's choice after the throw to second was late.  Ben Morgan then hit a bunt single with Kohlwey scoring on a Tigers' throwing error.  Morgan went to second on the play and Anderson to third.  Barsness was then intentionally walked to load the bases before a Trinity (Texas) pitching change.  After Anderson was forced out at home on a fielder's choice for the first out of the inning, Morgan came in on Buxton-Verstegen's fielder's choice to make it 6-3.  Zyhowski, Hoffman and Alex Cordova followed with run-scoring singles for a 9-3 advantage.

After a five hour and four minute rain delay at the end of the seventh inning, UW-L took a 10-3 lead in the ninth as Zyhowski singled, advanced to second on a throwing error by the Trinity (Texas) third baseman and went to third on the Tigers' second throwing error of the inning this time by the second baseman.  After Hoffman was hit-by-pitch and Cordova walked to load the bases, Kohlwey singled to score Zyhowski.

Trinity (Texas) tallied four runs on five hits in the bottom of the ninth.  Singer and Moore each had run-scoring sinlges while Jewett had an RBI groundout.  The Tigers also scored on an Eagles' throwing error.

Ben Cejka (9-2) earned the win for UW-L, going 5.0 innings, allowing 11 hits, three runs and two walks with two strikeouts.  With the victory, Cejka becomes UW-L's career leader in victories with 19, breaking the record of 18 set by Jack Gurholt (1976-79).  Cejka also became the school's career leader in innings pitched with 239.1, breaking Tim Verthein's (2009-13) record of 235.0.  Cejka is also the Eagles' career leader in strikeouts with 193.

Caleb Boushley went 4.0 innings in relief Tuesday, picking up his first save of the year.  He allowed six hits and four runs.

Every starter had a hit for UW-L as the team finished with 16 overall.  Barsness and Adler both went 3-for-4 while Buxton-Verstegen and Zyhowski each finished 2-for-5.  Barsness and Zyhowski each scored twice while Adler scored three times. Zyhowski, Vatch and Hoffman each had two RBI.

Mike Walker (6-4) took the loss for Trinity (Texas), pitching 6.0 innings, allowing 10 hits, eight runs and three walks with one strikeout.

Eight of the Tigers' nine starters had a hit as the team finished with 17 overall.  Moore went 3-for-6 with an RBI while Butler finished 3-for-5 with a run scored.  Wolf, McEachern, Jose Santos and Fehmel each had two hits.