Lambert slams door on St. Scholastica

Justin Lambert showed again Saturday afternoon that the UW-Whitewater pitching staff in much deeper than just Jeff Donovan and Riley Tincher.

The sophomore out of Mount Horeb High School was outstanding in relief of Riley Tincher in the NCAA Division III Midwest Region championship game vs. St. Scholastica (Minn).

The right-hander shut down the Saints on just 3 hits over the final four innings. The sophomore out of Mount Horeb High School ended the game by getting CSS one-two-three in the ninth inning to earn his fifth win of the season.

“The adrenaline was flowing, how could it not be” Lambert tells voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “Ready to go to the World Series – three outs to go – its an incredible feeling!”

Pitching “ahead in the count” is a big key to being successful as a pitcher.

“Especially when you get to the level of talent of the teams that are here (NCAA tournament teams), you fall behind, it doesn’t matter how hard you throw, they will be sitting fastballs and they’ll hit you,” Lambert explains.

For Justin, UWW catcher Rob Coe is a huge factor in his success on the mound.

“The big reason we get the batters in the hole is because we have such a smart kid behind the plate,” Lambert said. “I don’t know if he does but I think he “calls” the game all by himself. I haven’t shaken him off one time this year. It didn’t take me long to understand to just trust him and throw the pitch he calls.”

(In the adjacent photo - Justin Lambert (left) and Rob Coe (right) show the emotion of just winning the Midwest Regional title and berth in this week's NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton - photo courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

As for his team earning a berth in this year’s NCAA Division III World Series that begins Friday at Time Warner Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton (Grand Chute)?

“I wouldn’t trade it for the world – it is an incredible feeling.”

UW-Whitewater will play Buena Vista College (Iowa) in first round action at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Wahawks to play Buena Vista (Iowa) on Friday in 1st round World Series action

The UW-Whitewater baseball team will open NCAA Division III World Series play Friday afternoon vs. Buena Vista College in the 4:30 p.m. 1st round game at Warner Cable Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Th Beavers scored four times in the seventh inning and overcame a 5-0 first inning deficit to win the Central Regional Championship with a thrilling 7-6 victory over Carthage College on Saturday afternoon at Jack Horenberger Field in Bloomington, Illinois.

Earlier in the day Saturday, Carthage College forced a second championship game with a 12-7 win in the double elimination tournament.

(In the adjacent photo - BVU players celebrate moments after defeating Carthage College to advance to the 2011 Division III World Series. The last time the Beavers qualified for the "World Series" was in 1968 in the NAIA - photo courtesy of Buena Vista University athletics)

Buena Vista, located in Storm Lake, Iowa, improves to 32-16 overall, while tying a school record for wins in a season set last year. The team hadn't made it past regional play since qualifying to the NAIA World Series back in 1968. The Beavers also become the Iowa Conference's first team to advance since Wartburg did so back in 2005.

Aussie aussie aussie, oye oye oye

The UW-Whitewater baseball team is heading back to the NCAA Division III World Series for the first time since 2008. The Warhawks came from behind to defeat St. Scholastica (Minn) 6-3 in Sunday’s Midwest Regional championship game on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium

The Hawks trailed CSS 3-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Jeff Donovan got UWW on the scoreboard with a one-out double to score Rob Coe who had gotten on base via a base-on-balls. Dylan Friend drew a bases-loaded walk to score Donovan, cutting the Saints lead to 3-2.

In the seventh, Danny Putnam lead the inning off with a walk. Drew Eichstaedt followed with a solid hit to right field getting past rightfielder Tom Juberian’s glove allowing Putnam to score and putting Eichstaedt at second base. Jeff Donovan followed with a walk. UW-Whitewater designated hitter Brent Young, a native of Brisbane, Australia, hammered the Hawks on to Appleton by blasting a game-winning, three-run homer to make it a 6-3 game.

(In the adjacent photo - Brent "Aussie" Young (left) is greeted at home plate by Drew Eichstaedt (26) and Jeff Donovan (34) following his dramatic three-run homer to lift UWW past St. Scholastica in Sunday's NCAA Division III Midwest Region championship game. The victory sends the Warhawks to the Division III World Series that opens next Friday at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton - photo courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

Tincher, who had already appeared in three games in relief, started Sunday’s regional championship game. The senior from Oregon, Wisconsin allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings on the mound. UWW pitching did not walk a batter.

Justin Lambert, who came into the game in relief of Tincher in the 6th inning, shut down the St. Scholastica on just 3 hits over the final four innings. The sophomore out of Mount Horeb High School ended the game by getting CSS one-two-three in the ninth inning to earn his fifth win of the season.

UW-Whitewater is heading back to Fox City Stadium in Appleton (Grand Chute) to the NCAA III World Series for the fourth time in eight years.

The Warhawks (36-11) will open play on Friday (5/27) at 4:30 p.m. vs. the Central Region champion. Carthage College (Wis) forced a second championship game Sunday afternoon in Bloomington, Illinois by handing Buena Vista (Iowa) a 12-7 loss in Sunday’s first championship game of the double elimination tournament.

Welcome to Championship Saturday: Whitewater vs St. Scholastica

St. Scholastica (37-6) advances for the second time in school history to the regional championship game, where it will play the host school, UW-Whitewater.

The only other time the Saints were in the regional final was in 2008, where Whitewater shelled them 21-13 as St. Scholastica was tapped out on pitching. This time CSS head coach Corey Kemp feels the Saints have the arms to win it.

Following Friday’s postgame media conference following his team’s 2-1, elimination game victory over St. Thomas (Minn) he wouldn’t rule out having ace Matt Lewis (9-1, 1.62 ERA) as his starting pitcher vs. the Warhawks.

Lewis pitched 12 innings in the Saints’ opening round loss to Hamline on Wednesday.

Today won’t be this first time CSS and Whitewater have met on the diamond this season.

On May 3rd St. Scholastic travelled to Whitewater for a pair of seven-inning games.
The Warhawks won the opener with UWW’s Jack Larson and Eric Fritz combining on a 4-hit, 2-1 victory. Larsen earned his first career victory for the Whitewater.
Matt Lewis got the loss, his first of the season, despite giving up just five hits in going the distance.

In game-two, UW-Whitewater started another freshman pitcher – Justin Mortenson – who pitched well, giving up five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
A two-run 6th inning was the difference for CSS as Saints’ pitcher got out of a jam in the final inning to get the win.

CSS will need to beat the Warhawks twice to advance to their first College World Series, to be held May 27-31 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis.

Whitewater head coach John Vodenlich will have plenty of options for his pitching strategy.

Riley Tincher, who has had two appearances already in this week’s Midwest Regional, is ready to go nine innings today if needed.

UWW’s No. four starter, Jack Larsen, has yet to pitch this week.

No. 3 starter, Justin Lambert, is also available after 4-point-1 innings on the mound in Thursday’s 7-6, 10 inning win over Hamlin University (Minn).

Despite rain showers in the region at 10:15 a.m. (but no rain in Whitewater) today’s first championship game is set to begin at 12-Noon.

Another one-run win - How about those Warhawks?!

This week’s NCAA Division III Baseball Regional has featured some incredible baseball on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium on the campus of UW-Whitewater.

For the Warhawks it has meant three, one-run wins to advance to today’s championship round.

• 3-2 over St. Thomas in the Wednesday’s opener
• 7-6 in 10 innings over Hamline on Thursday
• 2-1 over WIAC rival and No. 1 seed UW-Stevens Point on Friday

In all three victories, Warhawk leftfielder Matt Beyer has either scored the game-winning run or recorded the game-winning RBI.

On Friday vs. Stevens Point, the Janesville native delivered the game winning hit – an RBI single in the 6th inning moments after freshman 3rd baseman Jared Fon had doubled with two out.

“When you have players stepping up, like Beyer delivering big hits all week, along with two freshmen - Dylan Friend yesterday (Thursday) and Jared Fon today (Friday) - you have to feel good about the future."

Sunday the UW-Whitewater baseball team will seek its first berth in the NCAA Division III World Series since finishing third at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton in 2008.

The Warhawks (35-11) will meet College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) (37-6) in the championship game of the double-elimination regional at noon today at James B. Miller Stadium. If the Hawks lose, a second bout will be held at 3 p.m.

UWW "gets one back" against Stevens Point

The UW-Whitewater baseball erased a year of misery with Friday’s 2-1 victory to knock UW-Stevens Point out of the NCAA Division III Midwest Region at James B. Miller Stadium Friday afternoon on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Last year the Pointers scored on a suicide squeeze play to beat the Hawks and earn a trip to the 2010 NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton.

Wahawk relief pitcher Eric Schmitz has had the photo of the Pointers celebrating that victory on Whitewater’s field on his computer’s screen saver.

Jeff Donovan, who pitched his first complete game victory of his career, was asked after the game if memories of that Regional championship game loss to the Pointers in 2010 still lingered for his team.

“It lingered until today,” Donovan told reporters. “We remembered what happened last year. It just added to our hunger today.”

It was definitely one of those “red letter” wins, especially after last year’s result.

“It was a big game for a number of reasons,” UWW head coach John Vodenlich said following Friday’s Warhawk victory. “They (Stevens Point) was the No. 1 seed, they’re in our league, they’ve been a big opponent of ours for years. I don’t know if would have been bigger or smaller if it hadn’t been Point – the fact is it was Point and we beat ‘em - This was a huge game and we have to feel proud about it.”

As big of a win as it was for Whitewater there is still plenty of work needed to earn a berth in next week’s NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton.

UW-Whitewater heads into today’s 12-Noon game vs. St. Scholastica unbeaten in this week’s Midwest Regional. A UWW win in the 12-Noon contest punches the UWW ticket to the “World Series.” A CSS victory sets up a second game at 3 p.m. for “all the marbles.”

CLICK HERE to view WKOW TV-Channel 27’s video story of Friday’s win over UW-Stevens Point

UWW 2, UWSP 1: Warhawks move on to Midwest Region championship game

The UW-Whitewater baseball team is heading to Saturday’s championship game of the NCAA Division III Midwest Region on the heels of Friday’s thrilling 2-1 win over WIAC rival UW-Stevens Point.

Jeff Donovan went the distance on the mound on just two day’s rest to run his season record to 10 & 0 on the season.

The senior from Wauwatosa East High School scattered 9 hits, struck out four without giving up a walk in “willing” his team past the Pointers.

The game didn’t start that well for Donovan.

The Pointers got on the board first. Cody Koback, the winning pitcher and provider of the game winning home run in the win over Saint Scholastica earlier Friday, doubled with one out in the first and scored on Justin Jirschele's single.

Whitewater had its chances in the early innings stranding five runners through two innings.

In the bottom of the sixth Rob Coe was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and moved to second on a ground ball. UWSP head coach quickly was out to the mound to lift his freshman starting pitcher Zach Wendorf in favor of the Pointer’s top reliever, Ryan Iverson.

Coe greeted Iverson by attempting to steal third base. The throw from Point catcher Steve Considine short hopped third baseman Justin Jirschele ending up in short left field allowing Coe to score the game tying run. The Hawks weren’t finished in the inning. With two outs UW-W freshman Jared Fon doubled, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored the what proved to be the game-winning run on Matt Beyer's single to right.

With the help of a couple sensational plays by 3rd baseman Jared Fon, Donovan allowed only two hits over the final three innings in shutting down a very potent UWSP offense.

The Hawks are now just one win from earning its first trip to
Iverson,’s record falls to 4 and 1, suffering his first loss of the season in relief.

UW-Whitewater, 35-11 and 3-0 in the regional, will play Saint Scholastica, 37-6 and 2-1 in the regional, at 12:00 Saturday.

If the Saints win the 12:00 game the teams would play again at 3:00 in the double elimination format.

The winner will advance to the NCAA III World Series at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin May 27-31.

Much more will be posted here on voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com later on this evening.
- Voice