RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls baseball team split a pair of seven-inning non-conference games against the College of St. Scholastica Thursday afternoon at First National Bank of River Falls Field, winning game one by a score of 12-3 before a narrow 3-2 loss in game two.
The Falcons, now 9-12 overall, head back into WIAC competition this weekend with its first conference road test of the year, traveling to UW-Platteville.
UW-River Falls 12, St. Scholastica 3
The game one win for the Falcons snapped a six-game losing skid and improved their overall record to 9-11.
The Falcons established an early lead, scoring three runs in the first inning. They continued their offensive momentum with five runs in the second inning, highlighted by a three-run homer by
Kaleb Zabielski – the first of his career to give UWRF an 8-0 lead.
UWRF extended its lead to 12-0 before the Saints broke the shutout in the sixth inning, tallying three runs off two hits and one Falcon error, but that was all the offense CSS could muster as the Falcons shut out the visitors the rest of the way to seal the win.
Parker Nedland received the start on the mound and delivered with a strong effort, earning his first career win while holding the Saints scoreless in five innings with four strikeouts.
UWRF totaled 14 hits with each starter notching at least one hit, led by three hits and four RBIs by Zabielski.
Cade Bruett,
Max Stocco, and
Max Krebs followed with two hits apiece.
St. Scholastica 3, UW-River Falls 2
After the Falcons scored runs in the third and fourth innings and held the visitors scoreless through five, the game was decided by a pivotal three-run homer by the Saints in the sixth inning.
In the third inning, the Falcons earned the game's first lead with a clutch two-out RBI double from
Andrew Athmann that scored
Tanner Hraby. An inning later, UWRF increased its lead to 2-0 with another two-out RBI.
Ryan Eckerle singled and came around to score off a single by
Kale Twombly.
With two runners on base on the top of the sixth, the Saints called Ryan Garlick in to pinch hit, and he came through with a three-run bomb over the fence in right field to give CSS its first lead of the day at 3-2. Saints relief pitchers Ethan Zimmerman and Jacob Worley then shut the door on the Falcons in the sixth and seventh for the victory, salvaging the series split.
The Falcons compiled 10 hits, led by two-hit performances from Twombly, Hraby,
Kole Paulsen, and Athmann.
Caydon Lomas started on the mound and pitched 2.2 scoreless innings before being relieved by
Shaun Gavin, who pitched three scoreless innings before conceding the game-winner home run.
