APPLETON, Wis. — When Lawrence came to Beloit a week ago, Dave DeGeorge said the 2024 Vikings looked a lot like his 2024 bunch who won the Midwest Conference.
Nothing the Vikings did on Wednesday changed his mind.
First Lawrence completed a game suspended by rain in Beloit on April 16, 9-4, and they followed it up with a 6-4 come-from-behind victory.
The Vikings improved to 24-8 overall and 15-2 in the MWC. Beloit slipped to 19-13 and 12-9.
In the suspended game, Lawrence had a 5-2 lead when a downpour ended play at The Ballpark at Strong Stadium. An error in right field allowed Lawrence to make it 6-2 with an unearned run in the top of the fifth.
The Bucs tried to rally. Jack Alport led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and Matt O’Leary followed with a two-run home run to left center. Beloit proceeded to load the bases as Connor Vogel singled, Evan Zenger doubled and Jacopo Tambu was hit by a pitch. Blake Nelson flew out to left to end the inning.
The Vikings got the two runs back in the sixth inning when Tate Hartlaub hit a two-RBI double for an 8-4 lead. Edan Perez hit a solo homer in the seventh for the final 9-4 margin.
Nate Leonard (3-0) went six innings to pick up the win, allowing four runs (three earned) with three walks and four strikeouts. Beloit starter Caleb Lasher (2-2) took the loss with the odd statline of eight innings, 11 hits, nine runs (eight earned) one walk and 11 strikeouts.
The Bucs led 4-1 in the second game before the wheels came off. Brett Kiger ripped a two-run homer in the first inning for the Bucs, but Lawrence answered with an RBI single by Hartlaub.
Miles Souza’s RBI single made it 3-1 in the fourth inning and Alport added a sacrifice fly for a 4-1 lead.
That was it for the Beloit offense, despite 11 hits. The Bucs stranded 13 baserunners.
Lawrence scored four times in the seventh inning off Eamon Burke (2-4) to take a 5-4 lead. Zach Leslie and Taylor Freeman each had RBI doubles in the big inning.
Lawrence tacked on an insurance run in the eighth for the 6-4 final.
Souza led the Bucs, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Zenger and Seth Brankey also had two hits apiece. Jacob Charon was 3-for-4 for Lawrence while Leslie and Freeman each had two hits.
Micah Wilk started on the mound for Beloit and went two innings, allowing four hits and one run. Burke was touched for four runs in 4 1-3 innings, despite seven strikeouts and Harvey Pena allowed one run in 1 2-3 innings.
Nick Katz started for Lawrence and allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings. Brandon Brust (4-0) came on to pick up the win, allowing one run in 2 2-3 innings. Quinn Berglin pitched a scoreless 1 1-3 innings for a save.
The Bucs travel to Monmouth for a double-header on Saturday before hosting the Scots Sunday at noon.
• LINESCORES:
Game 1
LAWRENCE 9, BELOIT 4
Lawrence 023 012 100 — 9 12 2
Beloit 011 020 000 — 4 7 2
Leading hitters: LU, Hartlaub 2-4, 2 runs, 2 rbi; Knoll 2x5; Perez 1x5, 2 runs, 1 rbi; Charon 2x5, 2 runs, 3 rbi; Freeman 1x4, 1 run, 1 rbi; Gutowski 2x4, 1 run; Zatkowski 2x4, 1 run, 1 rbi. BC, Alport 1x4, 1 run; O’Leary 1x5, 1 run, 2 rbi; Vogel 1x3; Kiger 1x4, 1 run; Zenger 1x4; Souza 1x4, 1 rbi; Ponio 1x2, 1 run, 1 rbi. 2B: Hartlaub, Freeman, Zenger. HR: Perez, Charon, O’Leary, Ponio.
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): LU, Leonard (W,3-0) 6.0-7-4-3-3-4; Johannes 1.0-0-0-0-2-0; Ruth 2.0-0-0-0-1-2. BC, Lasher (L,2-2) 8.0-11-9-8-1-11; Stern 1.0-1-0-0-0-0.
Game 2
LAWRENCE 6, BELOIT 4
Beloit 200 101 000 — 4 11 1
Lawrence 010 000 41x — 6 12 1
Leading hitters: BC, Alport 2x3, 1 run, 1 rbi; Souza 3x5, 1 rbi; Kiger 1x3, 1 run, 2 rbi; Zenger 2x5, 1 run; Brankey 2x3, 1 run. LU, Hartlaub 1x3, 1 rbi; Edan 1x4, 1 run; Charon 3x4, 1 run; Leslie 2x4, 1 run, 2 rbi; Freeman 2x4, 1 run, 2 rbi; Gutowski 1x3, 1 run; Zalkowski 1x4, 1 rbi. 2B: Knoll (LU), Leslie, Freeman. HR: Kiger.
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): BC, Wilk 2.0-4-1-1-1-2; Burke (L,2-4) 4.1-6-4-4-1-7; Pena 1.2-2-1-1-2-4. LU, Katz 5.0-7-3-3-2-6; Brust (W,4-0) 2.2-3-1-1-4-4; Berglin (S,1) 1.1-1-0-0-0-2.
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