Falcons hand Warriors fourth straight defeat
Run outburst not enough to top rival CUW
May 1, 2011
Ethan GeisMILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Lutheran College baseball team dropped a pair of games to Northern Athletics Conference rival Concordia University Wisconsin by scores of 15-12 and 16-10 Sunday at Neumann Family Field.
After a scoreless first inning, Concordia posted two runs in the top of the second. Its 2-0 lead did not last long as the Warriors responded with five runs of their own on five hits and one CUW error. Senior Justin Barkhurst (Crete, Ill./Illinois Lutheran) led off the inning with a double, followed by a Matt Lang (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) single. Ryan Pollesch (Markesan, Wis./Markesan) singled to bring in one run and Ethan Geis (Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran) followed a Concordia error with a single to bring in two more runs. With two on, freshman Cody Nevils (Boca Raton, Fla./West Boca Raton) tripled to bring in a pair making the score at the end of the second 5-2 in favor of the Warriors.
That lead soon vanished when the Falcons found their groove. Concordia was able to post nine runs on eight hits in the third inning for an 11-7 lead. The Warriors were able to tie the ballgame up at 11-11 in the bottom of the fourth but Concordia regained the lead in the fifth and never looked back with the final score being 15-12 in favor of the Falcons.
Lang suffered the loss, going the distance and giving up 12 earned runs. Barkhurst and Lang each had three hits for the Warriors, while Nevils, Josh Ferrell (Cocoa, Fla./Temple Christian), Pollesch, Doug Martin (West Bend, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and Geis each had two.
The second game Sunday turned out to be a thriller as well. The hot-hitting Falcons of Concordia continued as it spread out 16 runs on 22 hits through nine innings. The Warriors posted 19 hits but were not able to outlast the Falcons and dropped the second game 16-10.
Josh Smith (Appleton, Wis./East) started and pitched six innings while giving up 11 hits and four earned runs. Alex Nikolai (South Milwaukee, Wis./Thomas More) and Ferrell each pitched in relief of Smith. Ferrell, Pollesch and Geis each tallied three hits and two RBI for the Warriors.
Wisconsin Lutheran (17-18, 8-10 NAC) returns to action Tuesday when it faces non-league and NCAA Division I opponent UW-Milwaukee. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Henry Aaron Field.
