WHITEWATER, Wis. — The UW-River Falls baseball team earned a 13-4 win over top-seeded UW-Whitewater to advance in the WIAC Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Prucha Field, snapping the Warhawks' 36-game win streak.
The win marked the program's first over UW-Whitewater since April 14, 2002, and the first WIAC Tournament victory in program history, as the conference postseason format was introduced in 1998. UWRF is now scheduled to play on Friday, May 8, at 1 p.m. versus the winner of the No. 2 seed UW-La Crosse vs. No. 3 seed UW-Eau Claire.
The Falcons gained their first lead of the game on the opening pitch when
Tanner Hraby hit a solo home run, his seventh of the season. In the second inning,
John Santelman singled home another run to give UWRF an early 2-0 lead.
UW-Whitewater responded in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run to tie the game.
River Falls regained the lead with three runs in the fourth inning. A Santelman single drove in two runs before
Andrew Athmann stole home on a first-and-third double steal. In the fifth, the Falcons extended their advantage to 7-2, taking advantage of two Warhawk errors and a wild pitch.
The Warhawks hit another two-run home run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 7-4.
UWRF added five runs in the seventh on three singles, two walks, and two hit batters. Hraby and
Carter Klein each recorded RBI singles in the inning.
Colton Skoglund added an RBI single in the eighth to make the score 13-4.
Cole Scheel started on the mound for the Falcons, pitching four innings while striking out three and allowing two runs on just four baserunners.
Shaun Gavin finished the game, pitching five innings with five strikeouts to earn the win. Gavin's fifth victory of the season moved him into a tie for fourth in the WIAC.
All nine Falcon batters recorded hits, while Hraby, Klein, Santelman, and Skoglund each posted multi-hit performances. Hraby's performance was his 18th multi-hit game of the season, tied for fourth in the conference.
The Falcons also continued their success on the basepaths, successfully stealing all three of their attempted bases.
