No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 4, UW-Stout 3 | Box
Watson threw his third complete game of the season in the opener for UW-Stevens Point (28-9, 14-8 WIAC). The junior held UW-Stout (20-19, 10-14 WIAC) to three runs on seven hits and struck out three to improve to 6-1 this season.
The Pointers staked Watson to an early lead with two first-inning runs. Riley Spetz (Sturgeon Bay, WI/Sevastopol) led off the game with a single before Jimmy Coady (La Crosse, WI/Aquinas) doubled to leave runners at second and third. Spetz then scored on a groundout by Kyle McHugh (Polonia, WI/Rosholt) and Coady scored on Brandon Kranz (Waukesha, WI/West)’s single.
UW-Stout then took a 3-2 lead with single runs in the first, third and sixth off Watson on run-scoring hits by Charlie Meyer, Nick Nalbach and a solo home run by Ryan Freitag.
Trailing by one, UW-Stevens Point scored an unearned run in the seventh and scored the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly by Cody Hanke (Marathon, WI/Marathon) in the top of the eighth. Coady, who drove in the game-tying run, was the lone UWSP player to have a two-hit game as UW-Stout’s Andy Peterson held the Pointers to five hits in a complete game.
No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 4, UW-Stout 3 | Box
McHugh homered for the fourth time on the weekend in a three-run first inning as the Pointers built a 4-0 lead and hung on for the win in the late innings. After Coady doubled in Spetz with nobody out in the first, McHugh followed with a two-run home run as UW-Stevens Point chased Brett Steinwagner after just four batters.
The three-run first inning marked the sixth straight game in which the Pointers have scored in the first inning. Spetz has scored and McHugh has driven in a run in each of the last 10 games.
After Kranz made it 4-0 by plating McHugh with a single in the third, UW-Stout reliever Adam Widder did not allow a run after taking over for Steinwagner in the first. Meanwhile, Flood protected the lead for UW-Stevens Point before giving way to Brad Stroik (Stevens Point, WI/SPASH) and Nick Prebelski (Green Bay, WI/Notre Dame).
In his first start of the season, Flood evened his record at 2-2 with six innings of two-run ball. Stroik allowed one run in two innings of work before Prebelski struck out a pair in a one-two-three bottom of the ninth to record his second save of the season.
Two of the three UW-Stout runs came on solo home runs by Freitag, who now has 15 this season. The Blue Devils threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth but Hanke threw out the potential game-tying run at the plate to end the inning.
UW-Stevens Point now turns its attention to postseason play as the team has wrapped up its spot in the WIAC Tournament, which begins on Friday, May 9.
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