Chicago, Ill. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team split a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader at Illinois Institute of Technology Sunday afternoon at Ed Glancy Field. The Scarlet Hawks won the opener, 4-2, before the Eagles came back to win the nightcap, 7-0. UWL is now 11-6 overall and 3-1 in the WIAC while IIT is 9-11 overall and 1-5 in the conference. 

IIT took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first in the opener Sunday after Jacob Sorenson was hit-by-pitch and scored on Zachary Dickey's two-run home run. The Scarlet Hawks made it 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning with Nick Bledsoe scoring on Orlando Cardenas-Juan's single and Tyler Tucker coming in on Michael Courtney's RBI single. 

UWL, receiving votes in this week's D3baseball.com Top-25 Poll, cut the lead to 4-2 in the top of the fourth. Mitch Sutton was hit-by-pitch with two outs and advanced to second on a passed ball. Alex Robson and Luke Schmitt followed with walks to load the bases. Nate Roethle then drew the Eagles' third straight walk to force in Sutton to make it 4-1. Nate Heili followed with an RBI single to score Robson to cut the deficit to 4-2, but the Scarlet Hawks were able to get out of the inning on a fielder's choice as the Eagles left the bases loaded. 

The Eagles only had three runners reach base in the final five innings and the Scarlet Hawks turned double plays in the eighth and ninth inning to secure the victory. 

Travis Berg (1-1) suffered the loss for UWL, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing six hits, four runs and four walks while striking out seven. Zach Pronschinske went 2.0 innings with two strikeouts. UWL tied season-lows with two runs and three hits in Sunday's opener. Heili and Roethle each went 1-for-3 with an RBI while Brennan Schmitt went 1-for-4. 

John Zalewski (3-0) picked up the victory for IIT, going 6.0 innings, allowing two hits, two runs and four walks with three strikeouts. Jacob Geiger recorded his first save, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing one hit and one walk. The Scarlet Hawks had six different players record a hit in the game.

In the nightcap, Jack Mizgalski pitched a complete-game shutout for UWL in earning his first collegiate victory. He went 9.0 innings, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five. ITT did not advance a runner past second base in the game. 

UWL scored three runs in the top of the fifth, including a pair of unearned runs. Heili reached on an IIT error with one out and then stole second. Zach Carney walked and Brennan Schmitt followed with a single to score Heili to make it 1-0. Carney came around to score on the play after an error on the Scarlet Hawks. Brennan Schmitt later scored on Brady Stolzman's RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead.

Brennan Schmitt's RBI single knocked in Carney in the top of the seventh to give the Eagles a 4-0 advantage. UWL added three runs in the ninth on Carney's two-run double and Luke Schmitt's RBI single.

UWL finished with nine hits in the game as Carney went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. Brennan Schmitt and Shane Coker each finished 2-for-5 as Schmitt had two RBI. Heili scored two runs.

Ian Duke (0-4) took the loss for IIT, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing seven hits, four runs (two earned) and three walks with one strikeout. Three different players had a hit for the Scarlet Hawks.

UWL returns to action Wednesday, April 11 hosting UW-Platteville at 1 p.m. for a WIAC doubleheader.