BELOIT, Wis. — The UW-River Falls baseball team used a pair of big innings in the fourth and fifth to pull away and earn a 7-4 victory over Beloit College on Friday evening at ABC Supply Stadium.
After trading early opportunities, the Falcons broke through in the second inning, capitalizing on a Beloit error with a aTeagun Ahrens sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead. The Buccaneers answered in the third, scoring two unearned runs to briefly move in front.
UWRF responded immediately with a three-run fourth inning, taking advantage of defensive miscues to regain control at 4-2. The Falcons added further separation in the fifth, stringing together five hits, highlighted by a two-RBI single from JV Castillo, to extend the lead to 7-3.
The Falcons finished with 12 hits on the day, led by Ryan Eckerle's career-high three-hit performance. Andrew Athmann and Patrick Lundgren each added two hits, with Lundgren collecting a pair of doubles. Castillo drove in a team-high two runs, while Ahrens and Tanner Hraby also contributed an RBI.
On the mound, Shaun Gavin earned the win, improving to 2-0 on the season. The right-hander worked five innings, allowing three runs (just one earned) while striking out eight. After Gavin's solid start, the reliever trio of Evan Senobe, Issac Mens, and Connor Ducklow helped close out the game. As a staff, River Falls pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, limiting Beloit to seven hits.
The Falcons, now 5-1 overall, head to Waukesha, Wis., tomorrow for a doubleheader at Carroll University. Game one is set for 1 p.m.
