STEVENS POINT, Wis. (UWSP-WSAU) — The No. 15 UW-Stevens Point baseball team (32-12) is headed back to the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals after knocking off Webster (33-16) in game 7 of the NCAA Tournament Regionals, 11-5. The Gorloks forced a winner-take-all game 7 by winning Sunday’s opening game over UWSP, 10-4. The Pointers will face a familiar foe in UW-La Crosse in the Super Regionals with game locations to be announced on Monday.
Senior Payton Nelson (Wausau, Wis./West) belted three home runs on the day, two in the decisive game 7. He drove in five on the day. Trent Van Ess (Two Rivers, Wis./Two Rivers) also homered twice in game 7. He had three RBI and scored four runs.
Bradley Comer (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) had a hit in each game. He was hit two times in game two with a walk in between and homered on the first pitch of his fourth plate appearance.
Anthony Tomczak (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) had three hits on the day. He scored a run in each game and drove in one in game two. Logan Homolka (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) had two hits and two RBI in the first game.
Game 1 – UWSP 4, Webster 10
Webster scored three times in the top of the first on three singles and a UWSP error. Comer singled, Brenden Canterbury (Waupaca, Wis./Waupaca) drew a walk and a Webster error loaded the bases for UWSP in the bottom of the first, but all three were left stranded.
With one down in the third inning, Nelson hit his first home run of the day, a solo shot to left. In the fourth, Kamden Oliver (Viroqua, Wis./Viroqua) hit a leadoff single. He moved to second on a groundout and scored on a double by Tomczak as UWSP got within 3-2.
The Gorloks scored twice in the fifth and added another in the sixth to go up, 6-2. Webster added three runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth to take a 10-2 lead.
Tomczak and Homolka hit back-to-back doubles to begin the bottom of the ninth. Quin Henwood (Appleton, Wis./North) singled to plate another, but UWSP couldn’t get any more runs across in the 10-4 defeat.
Nick Paulsen (Balsam Lake, Wis./Unity) suffered his first loss of the season. He went 6.0 innings with five strikeouts and just two earned runs against. Tyler Beyer (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Lincoln) tossed the final 3.0 with one strikeout.
Game 2 – UWSP 11, Webster 5
Nelson needed just two pitches to put the Pointers in front in game two. He belted a solo home run with one down in the top of the first to give the Pointers a 1-0 lead.
Tomczak singled to start the second. Homolka and Van Ess each drew walks to load the bases with one out. Jakob Boos (Littleton, Colo./Heritage) singled to push home two runs. Nelson plated another with a sac fly and UWSP went ahead 4-0.
Comer walked to begin the third. He was replaced at first on a fielder’s choice by Canterbury. With away, Canterbury scored from first on a double by Tomczak to increase the lead to 5-0.
After Webster got on the board in the third, Henwood singled to lead off the fourth. Van Ess followed and blasted a two-run home run to give UWPS a 7-1 lead.
Webster got three runs in the fourth on two hits and two UWSP miscues to close to within 7-4.
In the sixth, Van Ess drew a leadoff walk. Two batters later, Nelson belted his third home run of the day to make it 9-4.
The Gorloks got one run in the bottom of the sixth on three hits and an error. Van Ess got the run back in the seventh on a two-out solo home run.
Austin Syvertson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) and Sidney Ferry (Paw Paw, Mich./Homeschooled) closed the door from there. Syvertson, making his 65th career appearance to tie for second in school history, struck out five in 3.0 innings of work. Ferry struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Mason Weckler (Belvidere, Ill./North) went 5.0 in the start to earn his second win of the weekend. He had one strikeout.
The Pointers and UW-La Crosse will play a best-of-3 Super Regional round on May 26 and 27 with the winner advancing to the College World Series. Game 1 is slated for 12:00 p.m. on Friday.
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