Minneapolis, Minn. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team, ranked third on the preseason D3baseball.com Top-25 Poll, opened its 2017 season with a doubleheader split versus Saint John's University (Minn.) early Monday morning at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Johnnies, receiving votes on the D3baseball.com Poll, were also playing their season opener.
Saint John's (Minn.) earned a 1-0 win in seven innings in the opener as Nick Noack threw a complete-game no-hitter. He retired the first 11 batters before
Nate Heili reached on a fielding error with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Heili later advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt, but was stranded.
Alex Robson reached on a fielding error with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but was caught stealing to finish the inning. Noack retired the final six batters to end the game. He went 7.0 innings with seven strikeouts.
Caleb Boushley (0-1) pitched a complete-game for UWL, going 7.0 innings, allowing five hits, and one run while striking out six. Saint John's (Minn.) scored the only run of the game in the top of the second on Thomas Meland's two-out single knocking in Jeron Terres.
Boushley retired the final seven batters of the game.
UWL came back to pick up a 6-0 victory in the nightcap. The teams agreed to play nine innings in the second game.
Jameson Lavery (1-0) earned the win for the Eagles, going 7.0 innings, allowing four hits with two strikeouts. He retired the 11 batters of the game before a two-out Derek Schiebel single in the bottom of the fourth.
The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as
Sam Prissel scored on
Alex Brown's sacrifice fly. UWL made it 2-0 in the fifth when
Brennan Schmitt came in on JJ Belknapp's fielder's choice. Prissel's two-out two-run double in the top of the seventh knocked in Brady Stolzman and
Joel Zyhowski to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
UWL added two runs in the eighth inning with Nate Roethle scoring on Stolzman's single and Schmitt coming in on Belknapp's sacrifice fly.
Heili went 4-for-5 for the Eagles while Prissel finished 3-for-5 with two RBI. Schmitt went 3-for-3 with two runs and Stolzman finished 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Belknapp had two RBI. UWL finished with 14 hits in the game.
UWL returns to action Saturday, March 11 starting its spring trip at the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational. The Eagles face Concordia University Chicago (Ill.) Saturday, March 11 at 2 p.m. (Central) in Winter Haven, Florida.