La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team, receiving votes on this week's D3baseball.com Top-25 Poll, opened its 2021 season with a doubleheader sweep of UW-Eau Claire Saturday afternoon at Copeland Park. The Eagles earned a 13-0 win in seven innings in the opener before a 16-6 victory in eight innings in the nightcap. UW-Eau Claire was also playing its season opener. The Blugolds were playing their first varsity games since the sport was discontinued in 1995.

UWL took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Zach Carney walked and advanced to second on Shane Coker's single. After a pair of outs were recorded, Ethan Gerstner hit a three-run home run for the Eagles.  UWL added to its lead in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs on a run-scoring single from Coker and RBI groundout by Jonathan Wizner. 

Carney and Brennan Schmitt delivered RBI singles in the bottom of the fourth to give UWL a 7-0 lead. The Eagles tallied six runs on two hits in the bottom of the sixth. Schmitt and Mac Born were hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded to make it 9-0. Colton Schraepfer's two-run single made it 11-0. Born and Schraepfer later scored on wild pitches.

Sawyer Phillips (1-0) earned the win in the opener, going 4.0 innings, allowing one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts. He struck out six of the first seven Blugolds' in the game. Zach Pronschinske pitched 2.0 innings with four strikeouts while Caleb Matl allowed one hit with three strikeouts in 1.0 inning. 

UWL totaled eight hits in the opener. Seven starters recorded a hit for the Eagles with Coker finishing 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Carney scored three times while Schmitt and Schraepfer each had two RBI. 

Tim Ginter (0-1) took the loss for UW-Eau Claire, going 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, seven runs and six walks with three strikeouts. The Blugolds finished with two hits. Anthony Pogodzinski had the team's first hit since 1995 with a single in the second. Otto Treichel doubled to start the seventh.

In the nightcap, UW-Eau Claire got on the board in the top of the first with Nate Witte coming in on a passed ball. The Blugolds left the bases-loaded in the first. UW-Eau Claire took a 2-0 advantage in the second with Elyjah Johns scoring on Logan Matson's double. 

UWL took a 4-2 lead with four runs in the bottom of the frame on only one hit. Connor Roesler walked with the bases-loaded to cut the lead to 2-1. Ty Hamilton came in on a UW-Eau Claire fielding error to tie the game at 2-2. Coker followed with a two-run single knocking in Roesler and Jordan Williams. Three of the four runs were unearned.

Both teams scored a run in the third inning. Treichel hit a solo home run to lead-off the third for the Blugolds to make it 4-3 before Parker Plume's sacrifice fly scored Jack Kelly for the Eagles to make it a two-run game. UW-Eau Claire tied the game in the top of the fourth on Matson's RBI double and Jacob Lacy's sacrifice fly. UWL took a 6-5 lead in the fourth on Wizner's single to score Coker. 

Matson's sacrifice fly for UW-Eau Claire tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the sixth, but UWL responded in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-6 lead on Jack Kelly's two-out single.  

UWL scored seven runs in the seventh. Wizner and Kelly walked with the bases-loaded to get the scoring started in the inning. Williams' two-run single scored Brennan Schmitt and Wizner. Roesler walked with the bases-loaded while Williams and Plume scored on wild pitches. The Eagles ended the game with two runs in the bottom of the eighth as Plume had an RBI single to knock in Colin Kleffman with Kelly also scoring on the play after a Blugolds' throwing error. 

Jack Mizgalski (1-0) picked up the win for UWL, pitching 2.0 innings, allowing one hit, one run and two walks with two strikeouts. Jack Perinovic started for the Eagles, going 2.0 innings, allowing three his, three runs and four walks with three strikeouts. 

UWL totaled 11 hits in the nightcap with eight starters recording at least one. Coker finished 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI and two walks while Roesler went 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI and two walks. Coker, Wizner, Kelly, Williams and Plume each had two RBI. Kelly scored three times. 

Kendal Lecker (0-1) suffered the loss for UW-Eau Claire, pitching 2.2 innings, allowing five hits, one run and one walk. Will Mosinski started for the Blugolds, pitching 3.1 innings, allowing one hit, six runs (three earned) and eight walks while striking out two. UW-Eau Claire pitchers finished with 14 walks in the second game as well as hitting five batters.

UW-Eau Claire had seven hits in the second game with Matson finishing 2-for-2 with three RBI and one run. Nate Witte went 2-for-3 with three runs while Treichel finished 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

UWL returns to action Tuesday, March 23 hosting UW-Stout at 1 p.m.

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