After suffering a tough series loss against Winona State, the Badgers played their way back into first place in the conference with a series sweep over Augustana.
UW DII 19, Augustana 0
Wisconsin quickly jumped on the Vikings, scoring four runs in the first inning. Freshman shortstop Tyler Behle delivered a two-RBI single that scored junior right fielder Vinson Mulvey and sophomore center fielder Chris Trafton.
Senior Jarek Petras dominated on the hill, only allowing one hit over four innings of work. He took a no-hitter into the fourth. Petras struck out five Viking batters and only walked two.
Sophomore Nick Zacharias finished the game, throwing a scoreless fifth inning and striking out two.
The Badgers put up five runs in the third to extend their lead to 9-0. Freshman second basemen Alexis Quintero, who was 2-for-4 in the game, drove in senior catcher Jake Poeske with a single up the middle.
Wisconsin then put up nine runs in the bottom of the fifth, thanks in part to a hitting clinic put on by the pitchers. Four different pitchers collected base hits in the fifth. Junior Andrew Wolfe went 2-for-2 with two infield singles. Sophomore Eric Van Wazer ripped a double into the gap that scored a run. Freshman Colin Schrof delivered a two-RBI single and sophomore Drew Rust smashed a base hit to left.
UW DII 13, Augustana 1
Wisconsin fell behind early after Trafton lost a fly ball in the sun, allowing Augustana to score a run in the bottom of the first. But Wisconsin responded in a big way, putting up seven runs in the top of the second, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Junior first basemen Mitchell Hunger got the rally started with a one-out walk. Quintero then doubled into the gap, advancing Hunger to third. But the runs didn’t come until there were two outs, starting with a two-RBI single by senior designated hitter Sam Calmes. Trafton then knocked in Calmes with a single of his own. Junior left fielder Tony DeBartolo then muscled up and crushed a home run to left field, putting the Badgers up 5-1. DeBartolo now has three home runs on the campaign and has homered in back-to-back weekends.
Wisconsin wasn’t done though as Poeske and sophomore catcher Bobby Ehrlich drew consecutive walks. Behle then ripped a double into the gap, scoring both Poeske and Ehrlich.
The Badgers tacked on a few more runs later in the game and held Augustana scoreless over the rest of the contest.
Behle paced Wisconsin offensively, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. He was 4-for-7 during the series.
Sophomore James Oelke earned the win, throwing three innings and allowing just one hit. He struck out six. Rust and senior Alex Kueck each threw two innings and had two strikeouts.
UW DII 7, Augustana 0
Augustana forfeited the third game, due to not having enough players.
Overall, it was an impressive series for the Badgers, both offensively and defensively. With the sweep, Wisconsin moved to 10-3 overall and 7-2 in the conference, remaining one game ahead of Winona State. With the series loss to Winona State, the Badgers do not own the tiebreaker in the event that the conference ends in a tie. As a result, every game has become a must-win for Wisconsin.
The Badgers will look to keep rolling this weekend as they take on Northern Illinois at home. They will play at 12 and 2 p.m. on Saturday at Murphy Field in Waunakee and then on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Warner Park, the home of the Madison Mallards. Wisconsin could use support from students as they continue the push for the playoffs. Come out to the ballpark and cheer on the Badgers this weekend.