Auburndale, Fla. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team fell 4-2 to Spalding University (Ky.) Sunday at Lake Myrtle Park. The Eagles drop to 2-1 on the season while the Golden Eagles improve to 10-2.
UWL's
Connor Cook struck out the first seven Spalding (Ky.) hitters and retired the first nine batters of the game. The Golden Eagles got their first runner of the game in the top of the fourth as Garrett Wilson walked to start the inning. He stole second and advanced to third on Dillon Sievert's sacrifice bunt. After a walk, Wilson scored the first run of the game on Joe Hatcher's sacrifice fly.
Spalding (Ky.) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth on Jeffrey Chapuran's solo home run. It added to the lead in the top of the sixth with Hatcher scoring on Bryce Spalding's sacrifice fly.
UWL cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth on four hits.
Brennan Schmitt singled to start the inning and went to second on a wild pitch. After a ground out and pop-out,
Nate Roethle's single scored Schmitt to make it 3-1.
Zach Carney singled to put runners on first and second and
Nate Heili's RBI single knocked in Roethle to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Golden Eagles added an unearned run in the ninth inning after Wilson scored on a Sievert sacrifice fly. Wilson had reached on a two-base error and went to third on a failed pickoff attempt.
UWL finished with eight hits in the game with Heili going 2-for-4 with an RBI and walk. Six other players had a hit for the Eagles. UWL left 12 runners on base, leaving at least two runs on in five different innings.
Cook (0-1) suffered the loss, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing one hit, two runs and five walks with eight strikeouts.
Travis Berg went 0.2 of an inning, allowing one hit, one run and two walks while
James Witt pitched 3.1 innings, allowing two hits and one run (unearned) with one strikeout.
Spalding (Ky.) totaled four hits in the game. Jimi Keating (3-0) earned the win for Golden Eagles. He pitched 7.0 innings, allowing four hits and five walks with nine strikeout. Aaron Mitchell recorded his second save, going 1.1 innings.
UWL returns to action Monday, March 12 with a pair of games in Winter Haven, Florida. The Eagles face 19th-ranked The College of New Jersey at noon (Central) and The College at Brockport (N.Y.) at 3:30 p.m. (Central).