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Warhawks Force Second Championship by Topping Pointers

Box Score

In a gutsy performance, Greg Reinhard of UW-Whitewater started his second game of the day and earned wins in back-to-back games as UW-Whitewater forced a second championship game with a 4-3 triumph over UW-Stevens Point in the WIAC Baseball Tournament at Wisconsin Rapids. The two teams will meet again on Sunday at noon with an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament at-stake.

Reinhard, who had completed a seven-inning complete game four-hitter against UW-Platteville just 45 minutes earlier, took to the hill again for his Warhawks in the championship game. He went five innings, striking out eight Pointer batters and allowing just one hit, a solo home run to Steve Wiczek.

The Warhawks got on the board in the second inning on a solo home run by Aaron Guilbault. After Wiczek matched Guilbault’s blast for the Pointers in the bottom of the second, the Warhawks took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Dan Gnatzig. Back-to-back RBI singles by Eddie Adamson and Aaron Soto gave the Warhawks a 4-1 lead after seven innings.

The Pointers battled back loading the bases in each of the final two innings. Nat Richter trimmed the Warhawk lead to 4-2 with a two-out RBI single down the right field line in the eighth. But relief pitcher Ross Klawitter slammed the door getting a strike out to end the threat with bases loaded. In the ninth, Steve Wiczek’s RBI single scored Joel Hojnacki from second base to make the score 4-3. After Chuck Brehm was hit with a pitch to load the bases, Klawitter coaxed Richter into a ground ball to Warhawk second baseman Nicholas Teach to end the game.

Gnatzig had three hits for the Warhawks including a double. Greg Harder went three-for-five at the plate, while Adamson went two-for-three. Klawitter was stellar in earning the save. He struck out five batters, after entering the game with just two punch-outs on the season. Warhawk pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, eight on called third strikes.

Wiczek went two-for-four with a home run and a pair of runs batted in. His RBI in the ninth was his 64th of the season breaking UW-Stevens Point’s record. Tim Schlosser and Ryan Jones both went two-for-five for the Pointers. Jordan Zimmermann took the loss for the Pointers scattering seven hits and allowing two earned runs.