Most students went home for spring break but UW-Whitewater athletes continued to take the field rather than a hiatus. During break the tennis, baseball and track and field teams all competed in events throughout the week.

Tennis takes two of three, including an upset

The men’s tennis squad competed in three different matches, part of their spring trip where they traveled to California. Their first matchup was against Chapman University, who they handily defeated 8-1, behind solid performances from multiple athletes. In singles, junior Luke VanDonsolear, senior Cole Lindwall, and sophomore Will Ulrich defeated their opponents in straight sets, according to UWW athletics.

In their second match, the squad would not fare as well. They faced off against the College of the Desert and took a tough loss, 7-2. The winners for the Warhawks in this matchup were the doubles duo of Tyler Nelson and Lindwall, as they were victorious by a score of 7-6, Urlich won the lone singles match of the dual 7-5, 6-4.

In their final match, the Warhawks faced off against No. 9 Pomona College, in a thrilling 5-4 victory. Nelson won the deciding match, with a three set victory, taking down his opponent 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the comeback win. Additionally, the number two and three doubles teams consisted of Lindwall, Nelson, Payton Adkisson, and Josh Baldwin. Next up for the team is a trip to Chicago for a matchup versus Case Western Reserve University, in a match slated for April 8. 

Baseball takes care of business

Baseball, after postponements and rescheduling, took care of business in their conference opener versus the UW-Eau Claire, in a doubleheader. The scores of these games were 3-2 and 16-5, respectively. Due to the mercy rule, the Warhawks only took seven innings to defeat the Blugolds in game two, thanks to a dominant offensive performance where the lineup hit a combined 17-36, also adding 4 walks. 

Top performers offensively include left fielder Matt Scolan, who hit 4-5 in the leadoff spot, and added 3 RBIs. Additionally, Sam Vomhoff and Nick Paget added home runs in the offensive outburst. On the mound, Joey Pettit started, and gave up three earned runs in four innings, adding a strikeout. From the bullpen, Donovan Brandl threw two innings, and struck out five while only giving up one hit, and Trey Bretl gave up one unearned run in his one inning of work to seal the game for the Warhawks.

In the first of the two games, it was much more of a pitcher’s duel. For the Warhawks, Cole Berendt pitched six innings, surrendered seven hits, and gave up two runs. Berendt also struck out six Blugolds, and walked none. Out of the bullpen, Eli Frank and Michael Hilker Jr. combined for three shutout innings, with Hilker Jr. picking up his first save of the year. Offensively, the Warhawks had Vomhof, Korman, and Brandl all contribute RBIs, and Jacob DeMeyer had a three hit game.

The team closed out the week on Sunday when they hosted UW-Oshkosh, however they played as the road team because the game was relocated due to weather. Oshkosh upset the Warhawks in the first game with a bottom of the ninth with a walkoff to win 9-8. The Warhawks blew off some steam in the second game of the day when they defeated the Titans 17-4 in a seven inning mercy rule win.

Track and Field competes in Platteville Opener

This weekend, the track and field squad traveled to UW-Platteville to compete in their first outdoor meet of the season, the UW-Platteville Opener. This meet showcased many of the field athletes, with lots of solid performances. The best performance for the Warhawks place-wise was Brayden Zettle, who took first in the triple jump, jumping 14.04 meters. The Warhawks also had a solid day with the long jump, where Shelvin Garett and Christian Crump placed third and fourth, jumping 6.67 and 6.61 meters respectively. Pole vaulter Chris Bitz also took home a fourth place finish, with a vault of 4.6 meters.

Moving into the throwing events, the top finisher was Sean Larson, who took fifth in the hammer throw, throwing 44.93 meters. Kasey Skabroud threw for 43.6 meters, good for eighth place. In the javelin, Jack Mcginn threw for 43.22 meters, also good for eighth. Additionally, Bradey Frey took eighth place in the shot put, throwing for 12.21 meters.

Rhett Reuter took home the lone top eight finish for the Warhawks on the track, finishing seventh in the 400 meter dash with a time of 52.47. Next up for the track and field team is the Rex Foster Invite in Whitewater, scheduled for Friday, April 7.