Pointers Top Warhawks 6-5 in Thrilling Championship Game
In a tension-filled afternoon in Wisconsin Rapids, UW-Stevens Point rallied from a two-run deficit in the final two innings, and still had to hold off a furious charge from top-ranked UW-Whitewater to claim a 6-5 victory and the championship of the WIAC Baseball Tournament. With the victory, the Pointers claimed the WIAC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The teams entered the ninth inning tied 4-4. After a walk to the Pointers’ Joel Hojnacki to lead off the top of the ninth inning, Jake Frombach tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt. The Warhawks forced Hojnacki at second allowing Frombach to reach on the fielder’s choice. That set the stage for freshman third baseman Tim Schlosser. Schlosser connected on a fastball from Warhawk reliever Ben Prather and when it dropped behind the left center field fence the Pointers had claimed a 6-4 lead. Schlosser said, “I was sitting on that fastball. I was making sure that was the pitch and it was right down the middle.”
UW-Whitewater had one last rally left in them in the ninth inning. A one out throwing error on Pointer relief pitcher Matt Mehne allowed Ross Klawitter to reach second. Dan Gnatzig then singled to put runners on the corners. After a foul out, the Pointers had a chance to ice the game, but a short fly off the bat of Aaron Guilbault bounced out of the glove of Pointer center fielder Hojnacki, allowing Klawitter to score and trim the lead to 6-5. But Mehne settled down and struck out Jason Rutz to end the game.
Mehne earned the win by pitching the final three innings and allowing no earned runs. “He came in and really came after their hitters. When he’s on he’s very tough to hit, and he’s very confident in crucial situations,” said Pointer coach Pat Bloom about his sophomore righthander
Mehne was just happy to be in the game for the final out saying, “I thought he was going to put Kevin (Pankow) in and I said, ‘Please don’t.’ I wanted this last out, and I came through.”
Matt Polomis put the Pointers in a position to win with an eighth inning two-run home run to the opposite field to tie the game at 4-4. He finished with three runs batted in. Frombach and Schlosser each went two-for-five on the day.
UW-Whitewater sits at 38-6 and must wait until Sunday night to see if they will be granted one of three at-large berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Warhawks got two hits from Eddie Adamson including a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning. Klawitter went two-for-five with an RBI, while Greg Harder also had two hits.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys,” said Bloom. “We accomplished one big goal here, and we know we’ve got a couple of big ones to take care of yet.”
UW-Stevens Point will be making their seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2002. Pairings and sites for the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship will be released late Sunday night.
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