LA CROSSE, WIS. – Iowa Wesleyan College managed a total of just 12 hits over two games and Viterbo (Wis.) University made the plays late in both games of a doubleheader sweep of the Tigers in Midwest Collegiate Conference play Saturday afternoon.
IWC lost the first game of the twinbill by a 5-3 score when the V-Hawks scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie. Viterbo then won the second game 2-1 in eight innings as Justin Daniels hit an RBI double with two out in the bottom of the eighth to win it.
The first two games caused for the time being a shakeup of the MCC standings, as Viterbo vaulted 1/2 game ahead of the Tigers in the conference standings with the two wins. The V-Hawks moved to 9-3 in conference (19-12-1 overall) and are now tied with William Penn for first place, while the Tigers dropped to fourth by percentage points, 1/2 game behind at 9-4 in the MCC (18-18 overall).
Wesleyan got a solo home run from Edder Morales (Sr.-Barquisimeto, Venezuela) in the first inning of the opener but then got little else until the sixth inning. Viterbo scored a run in the fourth and took the lead with two in the fifth before Pedro Hernandez (Sr.-Quebradillas, Puerto Rico) and Nelcicio York (Sr.-St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles) both hit sacrifice flies to tie it at 3-3. The V-Hawks came back with two in the bottom of the sixth, though, as Shawn Loch and Brett Moravec hit RBI singles for what proved to be the final margin.
The Tigers and V-Hawks both blew a number of chances in the second game, combining to strand 18 runners. Viterbo scored a run in the second and Wesleyan tallied the tying score in the top of the fourth on a single by Jay Olson (So.-Agency, Iowa), but the game went to extra innings as neither team scored in the rest of the scheduled seven innings. Chris Walls (Sr.-North Liberty, Ind.) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Tigers and allowed six hits and one run while striking out five to keep Wesleyan close heading into the final innings.
IWC loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with one out but was unable to score, and Viterbo finally made the Tigers pay in the eighth. With two outs and runners at first and second, Daniels doubled to score Brett Rettenmeier with the winning run.
Morales finished the afternoon with three hits and was the only Tiger hitter with more than two hits. Derek Zander (Jr.-Colorado Springs, Colo.) took the loss in the opener with two runs allowed in the sixth, while Brian Graves (Jr.-Pierre, S.D.) was the losing pitcher in the second game.
The two teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday with a single nine-inning game at noon.
For more information regarding the IWC baseball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score Game 1 Viterbo 5 IWC 3
Box score Game 2 Viterbo 2 IWC 1 (8 inn.)
