USM Baseball Team Snags Second Straight Victory

The baseball team won its second consecutive game against Shoreland Lutheran 12-2 in Midwest Classic Conference South action Thursday in Kenosha.

After missing several weeks due to injury, USM senior Taylor Schaefer started his first game of the season and pitched a one hitter against the Pacers.  “He settled down and did a great job,” said USM’s head coach Tim Bartz.  “It’s great to have Taylor back as we get close to the post-season playoffs.”

The Wildcats gave Schaefer run support early and often. With one out in the top of first inning, USM freshman Jack Wells reached first on an error. Junior Josh Baker then drilled a hard ground ball to right field to put Wildcats on first and third.  Baker stole second during junior Tommy Pennington’s at bat.  Pennington walked to load the bases.  Junior Nathan Burke hit a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Wells to tag and score and Baker to move to third.  Another error allowed Baker to score, giving USM a quick 2-0 lead.

The USM defense was not crisp early in the game and Shoreland Lutheran took advantage of a walk, two Wildcat errors, and a wild pitch to score its two runs in the bottom of the first.  A pickoff play at second early in the inning and a caught stealing at third to end it helped the Wildcats prevent the Pacers from scoring any more runs.

The Wildcats added four runs to their total in the second.  With one out, senior Jack Minahan singled and junior Patrick Lubar replaced him as a courtesy runner. Sophomore Nishad Agrawal then reached second on and error, and Lubar went to third on the play.  Junior Lane Stanford then hit a hard ground ball to first. The throw came home, but Lubar beat it, and all USM runners were safe. Stanford then stole second.  Wells grounded out but drove in Agrawal from third.  Baker then blasted a line drive to deep right field for a triple to drive in Stanford. Pennington followed with a single to left to score Baker and make the score 6-2, USM.

The USM defense tightened and Shoreland Lutheran was unable to score again.  The USM offense kept on rolling, and the Wildcats score again in the third.

Sophomore Billy Lawton led the inning off with a walk.  Schaefer singled and senior Ben Myers took his spot as a courtesy runner.  Minahan then walked to load the bases. Agrawal then drove in Lawton and Myers with a line drive single to center.

USM added to its 8-2 lead, by scoring again in the fourth.  Two swings of Wildcat bats was all it took.  Baker led off with a single and Pennington drove a long fly into the sunny sky that flew over the left field fence, and bounced over a van in the far parking lot.

USM made sure the mercy rule went into effect with two more runs in the top of the fifth.  Agrawal led off with a walk and beat a fielder’s choice at second off the bat of Stanford to give the Wildcats two runners.  Stanford was out at second on an ensuing fielder’s choice that put Agrawal at third and Wells at first.  Baker then singled and Agrawal and Wells scored on the play.

Two good catches by senior Ronnie Wynn in a left field that contained a hill that sloped up to the fence and an easy ground ball to Pennington at third ended Shoreland Lutheran’s hopes of extending the game and secured USM’s victory.

In the game Schaefer got the win and Shoreland Lutheran’s starter, senior Ben Honeck, took the loss.

The loss gave the Pacers a 3-13 overall record and a 2-9 mark in the conference.  USM is now 10-11 and 8-6 in the conference.  The Wildcats hope to even their record when they host Brookfield Academy in a non-conference game at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.