WHITEWATER, Wis. — The UW-River Falls baseball team's season came to a close on Friday afternoon with losses against No. 2 seed UW-La Crosse and No. 1 UW-Whitewater in the WIAC Tournament.
After a thrilling win over the top-seeded Warhawks in the Falcons' WIAC Tournament debut yesterday, the Falcons suffered a pair of losses to bow out of the double-elimination tournament. UWRF finishes the 2026 season with a 21-21 overall record.
UW-La Crosse 13, UW-River Falls 7
In their first game of the day, the Falcons erased a five-run deficit with a five-run fifth inning, the UWL answered immediately and went ont to win by six runs to stay unbeaten in the tournament while advancing to the championship game.
The Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two innings before adding another run in the fourth on a solo home run from Andrew Palm.
The Falcons responded in a big way in the top of the fifth.
Andrew Athmann and
Colton Skoglund opened the inning with singles before
Joe Riley drew a walk to load the bases.
John Santelman brought home the first run on a fielder's choice, and
Tanner Hraby followed with a two-run double to left center.
Max Krebs then tied the game at 5-5 with a two-run double down the right field line.
La Crosse answered quickly in the bottom half of the inning, reclaiming the lead on an RBI double and a three-run homer from Palm to make it 9-5. The Eagles added three more runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to pull away.
Hraby finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a double, while Krebs drove in two runs. Athmann also collected two hits and scored twice for the Falcons.
Carter Klein added a pair of hits, and Zabielski drove in a run in the ninth inning.
Brett Sullivan took the loss for UWRF after allowing six runs over 4.2 innings.
Cade Bruett provided 2.2 innings of relief, allowing one run while helping stabilize the Falcon bullpen late in the game.
UW-Whitewater 7, UW-River Falls 1
The Falcons struck first but were held to just three more base hits the rest of the game while the Warhawks scored seven off 12 hits, including four homers to knock UWRF out of the tournament.
In the first inning, Ryan Eckerle delivered an RBI single to center field, scoring Carter Klein for an early 1-0 lead.
UWW answered in the third inning with three solo home runs from Andy Thies, Evan Olson and Leyten Bowers to take a 3-1 advantage. The Warhawks added three more runs in the sixth inning and another on a solo homer from Jackson Spring in the eighth.
John Santelman highlighted the Falcon offense with a triple in the third inning, while Tanner Hraby, Max Krebs and Eckerle each added hits. UWRF threatened in the eighth after singles from Santelman and Hraby and a walk by Krebs loaded the bases, but Whitewater escaped the jam to preserve the lead.
Vaughn Johnson took the loss after allowing three runs across four innings. Evan Senobe struck out four in three innings of relief, and Brayden Ramus worked the eighth inning for the Falcons.
