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Wolves Split With TrollS After getting shut out in game one, offense responds for split

April 26, 2008

Cudahy, Wis. - The Cardinal Stritch University Wolves split a two-game series on Saturday afternoon with the Trinity Christian College Trolls in a CCAC baseball doubleheader. After falling to the Trolls 9-0, the Wolves salvaged a split with a 9-5 victory in game two. With the split, the Wolves move to 11-26 overall and 7-11 in the CCAC. The Trolls move to 14-18 overall and 9-11 in the CCAC.

After losing game one by a score of 9-0, Stritch rebounded to put a steady offensive attack on TCC. Putting five runs on the board throughout the first three innings, the Trolls would eventually have a three-run inning off of Stritch starting pitcher Jason Calvert (Milwaukee, Wis.) to tie the game at 5-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. The Wolves would answer back, however, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth to put the game out of reach at 9-5. Calvert (3-4) would shut out TCC the final two frames for his third victory of the year. The sophomore right-hander would allow four runs in seven innings, while striking out seven, and walking two.

Offensively, Austin Sarauer (Campbellsport, Wis.) had two hits and three RBI. Nick Buerger (West Allis, Wis.) went 3-5 and added two RBI. Senior rightfielder Blaze Selestow (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) also chipped in with two hits and an RBI.

Saturday also closed out a successful home season for the Wolves as they finish the 2008 season with an 8-2 record at Sheridan Park.

With the split, the Wolves still remain in seventh place in the CCAC behind the Trolls. However, Stritch will have a chance to get closer to a CCAC playoff berth as they’ll play Sunday, April 27 in Chicago against St. Xavier. Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Big Series For The Wolves Against The Trolls
(For complete release, click here.)

April 25, 2008

Milwaukee, Wis. - Saturday will mark a very significant two-game series of baseball between the Cardinal Stritch University Wolves and the Trinity Christian College Trolls. With the end of the season nearing, the Saturday series holds playoff implications for both teams.

For the Wolves, they’re currently on the outside looking in for the CCAC Baseball Tournament. The Trolls currently hold the sixth and final spot for the tournament with an 8-10 record in conference play. Being an important series, Stritch would need to take both games to own the tie-breaker over TCC should the decision come down to tied conference records.

Game one of the doubleheader between these two teams is scheduled to start at noon at Sheridan Park in Cudahy, Wis.

Stritch Takes Two From Wisconsin Lutheran
Offense plays well in game one

April 23, 2008

Cudahy, Wis. – The Cardinal Stritch University baseball program returned home on Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference doubleheader against Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Wolves went on to beat the Warriors in both games by scores of 12-2 and 6-5. With the wins, Stritch improves to 10-25 overall while the WLC will fall to 5-23 on the year.

In game one, the Wolves one through five hitters paved the way with nine hits and 11 runs. Freshman Cody Tesch (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) led the way for Stritch with three hits and four RBI. The first-year catcher also hit his first home run of the season.

The offensive output by the Wolves gave freshman pitcher Jake Lark (Germantown, Wis.) plenty of room to work. Lark would work around five walks, by only allowing two runs in five innings of work and striking out three. For Lark (1-0), the victory becomes his first as a collegiate pitcher.

In game two, Stritch would take the victory over the Warriors via the comeback route. Junior pitcher Geoff Standish (New Berlin, Wis.) held the Warriors in check for the first three innings by allowing just two hits and striking out six. Standish, pitching on a strict pitch count, would exit after the third inning with a 2-0 lead. However, the Warriors would get back into the lead by scoring four runs off of freshman reliever Zack Loss (Milwaukee, Wis.).

Down 5-4, the Wolves would ride the strong relief pitching of Micah Thompson (New Prairie, Wis.) and a clutch two-out single in the eighth inning by Blaze Selestow (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) to claim a 6-5 victory over the Warriors. Thompson (3-2) pitched three innings of relief, allowing five hits, striking out three, and walking none for the victory.

With the wins, the Wolves improved to 7-1 at Sheridan Park. After taking a couple of days off, Stritch will return to action for their last home series on Saturday, April 26 for a CCAC doubleheader against Trinity Christian University. The two game series is pivotal for the Wolves as they are looking to qualify for the CCAC Baseball Tournament and are currently in seventh place. Stritch will need to place sixth or higher to qualify.

Stritch Can't Hold Off IIT Scarlett Hawks get the better of the Wolves' pitching staff

April 21, 2008

Chicago, Ill. – Playing their third set of doubleheaders in the three days, the Cardinal Stritch University Wolves baseball program struggled Monday afternoon against the Illinois Institute of Technology Scarlet Hawks. The Wolves couldn’t hold off comebacks by the Hawks, falling by scores of 7-6 and 9-8. With the loss, Stritch falls to 8-25 overall and 6-10 in the CCAC while IIT improves to 8-19 overall and 5-8 in conference.

Game one saw the Scarlet Hawks take a 4-1 lead on the Wolves into the fifth inning. The Wolves, who have been swinging the bat well as of late, mounted a comeback by scoring two runs in the top of the fifth off an RBI double by Nick Majeske (Milwaukee, Wis.) and an RBI single by Jon Laidlaw (Westmont, Ill.).

The Wolves would add another run in the sixth inning off an RBI single by Michael Ploch (Lake Geneva, Wis.). They would then add two more in the seventh to take a six run lead as starting pitcher Andy Klein (Cudahy, Wis.) would settle down to hold IIT to no ones from the fourth inning on. Klein would eventually exit in the seventh inning after giving up a lead off single in the inning. The lefty would leave the game with a 6-4 lead and having allowed only the four runs at the time, giving way to reliever Brian Hirschinger (Grafton, Wis.)

The tall right-hander entered the game with a runner on first base and got the first hitter he would face to fly out to centerfield. However, he would hit the next hitter with the pitch putting two runners on base before IIT’S Kyle Guglielmo would end the ballgame with a three-run homerun to set the final score at 7-6. Hirshinger (1-1) would get saddled with the loss on the day.

Game two was also a battle of back and forth. Down 4-3 in the fifth inning, the Wolves would go on to put up five runs in the inning with RBIs from Cody Tesch (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Jake Lark (Germantown, Wis.), Majeske, and Laidlaw. The runs would put Stritch up 8-4

However, the Scarlet Hawks would answer against Wolves’ pitchers Justin Calvert (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Alex Aguilar (Berea, Ohio) by tying the game at 8-8. Hirschinger would return to the mound for the Wolves in the seventh against IIT and struggled for the second straight game. Hirschinger (1-2) would allow a single to the leadoff hitter and would add another runner on an error by second baseman Austin Sarauer (Campbellsport, Wis.). With two on, the Wolves elected to intentionally walk the next hitter before Hirschinger would surrender the game-winning run by walking ITT’s Andy Kungis to end the game.

The losses to IIT are just the third in the last 10 games for the Wolves.

"We still have a big week ahead of us," head coach Michael Zolecki said. "We can't sit back on what happened today, but we have to learn from it and come ready to play this week because the next games are still important to us and getting into the conference tournament."

The Wolves will be returning home and have an off day on Tuesday, but will return to action on Wednesday, April 23. Stritch will play a non-conference doubleheader against Wisconsin Lutheran at Sheridan Park with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

Stritch Baseball Sweeps Robert Morris College

Wolves continue to play strong

April 20, 2008

Bensenville, Ill. – Returning to the road, the Stritch Wolves’ baseball program came away with a two-game sweep Sunday afternoon in a CCAC double-header with Robert Morris College. The Wolves claimed game one by a score of 3-1 and tallied another victory over the Eagles with a 10-3 win in game two. The victories move Stritch to 8-23 overall and 6-8 within the CCAC. With the loss, Robert Morris College falls to 5-25 overall and 2-14 in the CCAC.

In game one, the Wolves and Eagles traded a run apiece before the game turned into a pitchers’ duel. Wolves’ starting pitcher Peter Lusic (Waukesha, Wis.) and the Eagles’ Pat Devereux (Westchester, Ill.) battled each other pitch-for-pitch. Devereux (0-3) would eventually crack as the Wolves’ offense used patience to put two more runs on the board in the top of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded in the seventh, Devereux walked Austin Sarauer (Campbellsports, Wis.) and Micah Thompson (North Prairie, Wis.), plating runs with both walks.

Staked to a 3-1 lead, Lusic (2-6) shut down the Eagles by striking out the first two hitters in the seventh and closing the game out with a fly ball to leftfield. Lusic worked a complete game for his second win of the season, allowing only one run on six hits while striking out eight.

“Pete has thrown well for the majority of the season, but we seem to struggle to get him the run support when he needs it most,” head coach Michael Zolecki said. “Although we would’ve liked more early on, it was good that we were able to get him some runs to earn the victory.”

Heading into game two, the Wolves were riding high on confidence, but the Eagles would strike first with a run in the bottom of the second inning. The Wolves responded in the top of the third inning with an RBI single by Nick Buerger (West Allis, Wis.) and a passed ball that would allow Jon Laidlaw (Westmont, Ill.) to score to put Stritch up 2-1. The Eagles responded, however, with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Wolves would go up 3-2 with Thompson scoring from third when Eagles’ first baseman Eric Bricker (Midlothian, Ill.) couldn’t handle a throw on a two-out ground ball by Kyle Trewyn (Whitewater, Wis.). With two out in the bottom of the sixth, Wolves’ starting pitcher Jason Calvert (Milwaukee, Wis.) appeared to hit the wall as with two outs in the inning, Calvert fielded a ball in front of the mound and overthrew Thompson at first base to allow the inning to continue. A single to centerfield would score Bricker from second to tie the game at 3-3.

Entering the seventh, the Wolves offense found some two-out thunder in their bats to give Calvert some much deserved support. With two out, Laidlaw came up to bat and hit an infield single. He advanced to second on a Nick Buerger ground ball that Eagles’ shortstop Mike Warner (Chicago, Ill.) couldn’t handled.

With two on and two out, a struggling Austin Sarauer stepped into the box and drove the first pitch he saw to left field to score Laidlaw and put the Wolves up 4-3. From there the Wolves never looked back, eventually putting up seven runs in the innings with key hits coming from Thompson, Cody Tesch (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), and Jake Lark (Germantown, Wis.). The final blow would be struck off the bat of pinch hitter Blaze Selestow (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) as the senior drove two-run triple to right field to tack on the sixth and seventh runs of the inning.

Coming back in the seventh inning, Calvert (3-4) found his groove again and was able to shut the door, helping the Wolves to a 10-3 victory. The sophomore right-hander would go all seven innings, giving up only three runs and striking out five.

“We struggled early on, but our guys are playing with some confidences,” Zolecki said of his team that has won seven of their last eight games. “Tied 3-3, getting a pretty good pitching performance out of Jason, and seeing the offense put up a huge inning in the seventh to secure the win really showed the perseverance we’re developing.”

Up next for the Wolves, they will head to Chicago to take on the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks on Monday, April 21. First pitch is scheduled to be thrown out at 1 p.m.

Wolves Split With PanthersFaltering in game one, Stritch gets split against CCAC foe

April 19, 2008

Cudahy, Wis. – Facing a tough team Saturday afternoon, the Cardinal Stritch University Wolves baseball program split a CCAC doubleheader with the Purdue University North Central Panthers. The Wolves dropped the opener to the Panthers by a score of 16-5, but then rebounded to claim game two with a 5-4 victory. With the split, the Wolves move to 6-23 overall and 4-8 in the CCAC while the Panthers go to 23-15 overall and 14-4 in conference.

Game one was a struggle for the Wolves as starting pitcher Geoff Standish (New Berlin, Wis.) couldn’t get on track. Standish (1-4) lasted 3 1/3 innings while giving up eight runs on 10 hits. Wolves’ hitters managed to post nine hits off of Panther pitching, but the Panthers’ offense was too much to handle, notching 18 hits against Standish and relief pitcher Alex Aguilar (Berea, Ohio).

Needing a victory in game two against the Panthers, Stritch hitters answered a two-run second inning by PUNC by scoring three of their own in the bottom half of the second. An RBI double by catcher Kyle Trewyn (Whitewater, Wis.) and RBI singles by Jake Lark (Germantown, Wis.) and Mike Ploch (Lake Geneva, Wis.) gave the Wolves a lead they would never relinquish. Stritch would add two more in the bottom of the fourth inning off a two RBI base hit by Jon Laidlaw (Westmont, Ill.)

With the offense on track in game two, starting pitcher Micah Thompson (North Prairie, Wis.) continued his strong pitching by going six innings and only allowing four runs. Thompson (2-2) registered his second victory of the week and continued his strong play throughout the week.

“Micah has really had a great week,” head coach Michael Zolecki said. “His last three starts, he’s come out throwing strikes and has done everything possible to keep us in ballgames.”

With the Wolves holding a 5-4 lead entering the top of the seventh inning, Zolecki called upon right-hander Brian Hirschinger (Grafton, Wis.) to close out the game. Hirschinger got the first hitter to fly out to left field and induced fly ball to centerfield for the second out of the inning. In a familiar situation as when the Wolves played Calumet College – St. Joseph, Hirschinger saw the third batter send a fly ball to deep center field, but freshman centerfielder Mike Ploch jumped up the wall of Sheridan Park to claim the final out. It was the second time Ploch’s defense ended a game against a conference opponent as he did the same in game one against the Crimson Wave earlier in the week. The save was Hirschinger’s second on the year.

“Brian came in and was throwing strikes immediately to hitters and that puts us in a great situation,” Zolecki added. “He kept firing the ball in their and you can’t say enough about how Mike Ploch has been playing in center. He’s stepped in for one of our injured players, making the most of his chances and has really earned the defensive confidence of those around him.”

The split on Saturday also gave the Wolves a record of 5-1 at Sheridan Park. However, the Wolves will now journey back out onto the road to play Robert Morris University in Chicago, Ill. for a CCAC doubleheader on Sunday, April 20. The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown out at 1 p.m.

Wolves To Take On Panthers
April 19, 2008
(For complete release, click here.)

Milwaukee, Wis. - Enjoying their recent homestand, the Cardinal Stritch University baseball program will continue that trend with another set of games on Saturday, April 19. The Wolves will play host to the Purdue University - North Central Panthers for a CCAC doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

For the Wolves, Saturday will mark the fi nal games of this week’s homestand. Stritch previously competed at home against Finlandia University and Calumet - St. Josephs, coming away with four wins. Game one is scheduled to start at noon at Sheridan Park, located in Cudahy.

Wolves Knock Off Crimson Wave With Two WinsKlein strong In game 1; Comeback fuels game two

April 17, 2008

Cudahy, Wis. – The Cardinal Stritch University baseball program continued to go on a surge of recent strong play by sending the Calumet College of St. Joseph home with two losses on the day. In a CCAC doubleheader, the Wolves knocked off the Crimson Wave in two games by scores of 5-3 and 8-7. With the win, the Wolves improved to 5-22 overall and 3-7 in the CCAC. The losses drop the Crimson Wave to 10-14 overall and 2-10 in conference play.

In game one, the Wolves played with the steadiness they’ve been searching for all season as all facets of the game were working in their favor. On the offensive side, Stritch hitters pounded out 12 hits throughout the game with the one through four hitters each having at least two hits. Back in the lineup for the first time in two weeks after suffering a hamstring injury, junior Nick Moraza (Milwaukee, Wis.) led the charge for the Wolves by adding two hits and two key RBI during a four-run third inning.

While the hitters let their bats do the talking, freshman pitcher Andy Klein found his comfort zone on the mound. Klein (1-3), who played for Cudahy High School, was very comfortable on the mound at Sheridan Park as it was where he pitched on a regular basis while in high school. The southpaw looked as if he was in his glory days for the Wolves by giving up only three runs, two earned, in six innings of work while striking out 10 hitters on the day.

“Andy did a great job today,” Stritch head coach Michael Zolecki stated. “He came out throwing first-pitch strikes and showed what working ahead in the pitch count can do for a young pitcher. It was a solid outing for him and came at the right time for our team.”

The victory for the Wolves was Klein’s first as a collegiate pitcher.

While game one showed steadiness, game two held dramatics for the surging Wolves. Sophomore pitcher Justin Calvert (Milwaukee, Wis.) threw the ball well, but fell victim to rough defensive play. With the Wolves down 2-1 entering the fifth, the defense crumbled to allow three runs for the Crimson Wave. Calvert would exit after the fifth inning by allowing five runs on six hits with all of the runs coming as unearned.

“Justin followed up with a steady performance in game two,” Zolecki said. “Unfortunately we started to make mistakes with the ball and couldn’t get out of the fifth without damage. Really, we were beating ourselves and we needed someone to step up.”

Down 6-2 entering play in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Wolves stepped up their play collectively. With one out, outfielder Cody Tesch (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) walked and then was called safe at second base when the Crimson Wave tried to turn a double-play on a fielders’ choice by Kyle Trewyn (Whitewater, Wis.). Safe at first, Trewyn was replaced by pinch runner Drew Arenkill (Aurora, Ill.). With runners at first and second, third baseman Nick Moraza came up and roped a two-run double right center to bring the Wolves within 6-4.

Down by two and still only one out, Moraza was lifted for a pinch runner in the form of Jason Calvert (Milwaukee, Wis.). Freshman centerfielder Michael Ploch (Lake Geneva, Wis.) stepped in and laced a one-out triple to right center to score Calvert and bring the Wolves to within one run of tying the game. Rightfielder Nick Majeske (Milwaukee, Wis.) came up and smashed an opposite field single to score Ploch and tie the game at 6-6. The Wolves were then doubled-up on a line drive off the bat of Jon Laidlaw (Westmont, Ill.) to end the rally.

Feeling momentum on their side, the Wolves entered the top of the seventh, things quickly changed as freshman pitcher Alex Aguilar (Berea, Ohio) yielded a lead-off home run by Ryan Young to put the Crimson Wave up 7-6. Not willing to give in, Aguilar was lifted in favor of Brian Hirschinger (Grafton, Wis.) who had recorded the save in game one. Hirschinger (1-0) went to work quickly by setting Calumet down in order and giving the Wolves’ offense a chance to stage another comeback.

Leading off the bottom of the seventh while down 7-6, Nick Buerger made quick work of his at bat by singling to right centerfield off of starting pitcher Ryan Bobos (0-2) to start a rally. After failing to move Buerger over on a bunt attempt, the Wolves found themselves with Buerger still at first base and now one out. However, stepping into the box was one of the Wolves’ hottest hitters this week in sophomore Micah Thompson (North Prairie, Wis.). Thompson, who had two hits in game one, saved his biggest hit for the last at-bat of game two. The right-handed hitting Thompson saw a first pitch fastball from Bobos and promptly deposited it over the left field wall for a game-winning, two-run walk-off homerun to send the Wolves to an 8-7 victory.

“Standing in the on deck circle, I just felt really good about my swing and felt that if I could get the pitch I wanted, I could do some damage,” Thompson said.

For Thompson and the Wolves, the homerun completed an emotional comeback in game two sending the Wolves to a two-game sweep of the Crimson Wave.

“We could have honestly just thrown in the towel,” Zolecki noted. “However, the guys didn’t quit and showed how they can grow as a team. This was a great way to get a team win.”

The Wolves will take Friday off and return to action at Sheridan Park on Saturday, April 19 at noon for a CCAC double-header against Purdue-North Central.

Wolves Take Two Against LionsThompson Shines For Stritch While Pitching Has Solid Day

April 15, 2008

Cudahy, Wis. – The Cardinal Stritch University Wolves came out swinging Tuesday afternoon against Finlandia University Lions in a non-conference baseball doubleheader. The Wolves took game one by a score of 5-1 over the Lions and completed the two-game sweep with an 8-2 victory in game two. The wins improved Stritch to 3-22 overall while Finlandia fell to 3-19 overall.

After struggling in many aspects in the last couple of games, the Wolves got on track both offensively and defensively throughout the day. Defensively, Stritch got a strong outing on the mound by junior pitcher Geoff Standish (New Berlin, Wis.) in game one. Standish (1-3) went the distance for the Wolves by only allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out 10 batters despite also walking seven.

On the offensive side, Jon Laidlaw (Westmont, Ill.) and Jake Lark (Germantown, Wis.) each contributed two hits to the eight total hits during the first game for Stritch. The key to the came was a strong two-out at bat by sophomore Micah Thompson (North Prairie, Wis.). Thompson who has struggled in two-out situations came through with huge hit for the Wolves in the sixth inning. Up by a score of 2-1, Thompson stroked a two-out double to left center to score Nick Buerger (West Allis, Wis.) and Drew Arenkill (Aurora, Ill.). The hit put the Wolves up 4-1. Thompson would end up scoring on a two-out single by Lark to cap the game at 5-1.

“We’ve been looking for guys to come through with runners in scoring position and two outs on the board,” Wolves head coach Michael Zolecki said. “Today the guys made the most of their opportunities and were able to deliver in that situation.”

Thompson wasn’t done after his performance in game one. Starting on the mound in game two, the sophomore right-hander took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before allowing a two-out single. Thompson (1-2) pitched six strong innings for Stritch while giving up only four hits and two earned runs on the day. The righty also fanned seven hitters from the Lions’ lineup and issued no free passes.

Offensively in game two, sophomore Nick Majeske (Milwaukee, Wis.) led the hit parade by going 3-3 at the plate with three runs batted in. Kyle Trewyn (Whitewater, Wis.) and Mike Ploch (Lake Geneva, Wis.) chipped in with two hits a piece as did Laidlaw and Buerger. All together, the Wolves pounded out 15 base hits during game two.

“Today was a good day for us,” Zolecki added. “Guys came out swinging, played well defensively and really showed how we can play when we put it together. We have to use this type of confidence and have it spill into our conference play and show what we are really capable of.”

The Wolves will have Wednesday off, but will return to action on Thursday, April 17 at Sheridan Park against Calumet St. Josephs. The Wolves will be playing a CCAC doubleheader against the Crimson Wave with games slated to start at noon on Thursday.

Wolves Face LionsApril 15, 2008 (For complete release, please click here.)

Milwaukee, Wis. - After being rained out the past weekend, the Cardinal Stritch University baseball program is looking forward to playing at home. The Wolves will be welcoming the Finlandia University Lions for a two-game set on Tuesday, April 15.

For the Wolves, the games against Finlandia will kick off, weather permitting, a six-game homestand. Stritch is slated to have home games on Thursday, April 17 and Saturday, April 19.

Game one is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. at Sheridan Park.

Wolves Struggle To Get On Track Against Tigers

April 14, 2008

Bourbonnais, Ill. – The Cardinal Stritch University Wolves road woes continued on Monday afternoon against the Olivet Nazarene University Tigers. The Tigers swept the Wolves in a two-game set by scores of 5-2 and 9-0. The Wolves fell to 1-22 overall and 1-7 in the CCAC while the Tigers improved to 19-10 overall and 9-4 in the CCAC.

For the Wolves, game one showed some consistency at the plate as centerfield Jon Laidlaw (Westmont, Ill.) returned from injury to DH and had two hits. Freshmen Cody Tesch (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) and Jake Lark (Germantown, Wis.) also added two hits a piece for Stritch. Senior Nick Buerger (West Allis, Wis.) had two RBI for the Wolves.

The Wolves will return home for a two-game set against Finlandia University (3-17) on Tuesday, April 15. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Sheridan Park in Cudahy.