Whitewater, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team earned a 3-0 victory over UW-Stevens Point Friday in the opening game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (presented by Culver's) at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.  The Eagles improve to 26-15 overall while the Pointers drop to 21-18.

UWL, the tournament's second-seed, will face the winner of top-seeded UW-Whitewater and fourth-seed UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m.  UW-Stevens Point will face the loser of the Warhawks and the Titans at 4 p.m. in an elimination game.

The winner of the championship receives the WIAC's automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship. 

UWL's Caleb Boushley (8-2) set the team single-season strikeout record in Friday's victory.  He recorded ten strikeouts to bring his season total to 94, eclipsing the previous mark of 86 by Dave Benedict (1950).  Boushley hurled his team-leading sixth complete-game of the season on Friday, and third shutout, allowing four hits and walking one batter over picking up the win in 9.0 innings of work.
 
The Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the second inning on Friday.  Brady Stolzman singled to open the frame and stole second.  Nate Roethle was hit by a pitch, and with two outs, Brennan Schmitt walked to load the bases.  Joel Zyhowski then singled up the middle, driving in Stolzman and Roethle to make it 2-0.

UWL added a run in the bottom of the eighth on a RBI double from Carter Hoffmann to make it 3-0.  Nick Pescheck scored on the play, who had reached earlier in the frame on a throwing error.
 
Derek Kawlewski (3-5) took the loss for UW-Stevens Point, giving up three runs on four hits in 8.0 innings.  He struck out five and walked two. 

UWL will face UW-Whitewater/UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m.