Baseball

May 9, 1999

MENOMONIE - Despite splitting two weekend series doubleheaders with UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater, the UW-Stout baseball team will advance to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) baseball tournament.

But the Blue Devils needed to go the tie-breaker route to get the nod into the tournament scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at Oshkosh. The Blue Devils will play No. 1 nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh at 10 a.m. at Tiedemann Field.

Stout (14-22, 6-8) split with Platteville Saturday, then came back to split with Whitewater (20-20, 6-8) Sunday, the team they were tied with going into the final games of the conference season. Stout won a 2-1 decision in the opener, then fell flat in the nightcap, 5-1.

The first conference tie-breaker was head-to-head competion, but a split forced the second tie-breaker, which was record against opponents that finished higher in the standings. Both Whitewater and Stout were swept by Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point. Stout split with UW-La Crosse, the third place team, but Whitewater dropped both games to the Eagles, giving Stout the nod.

Stout 2, Whitewater 0
Scott Meyer (Jr, Austin, Minn) went the distance, scattering six hits, striking out six and allowing one earned run to notch the win.

After Whitewater scored a run in the top of the third, Stout's Tony Vitcenda (Jr, Elroy) drove in Nick Kalina (Fr, Potosi) with a single to right to tie the game. Vitcenda provided the eventual game winner in the fifth when he drove in Josh Johnson (So, Oregon), who had reached on a lead-off single, for a 2-1 lead.

Meyer worked himself out of a jam in the eighth inning when the Warhawks got runners on the corners with two outs, but Meyers forced a pop-up to end the inning.

Both Vitcenda and Johnson went 2-for-3 in the game as the Blue Devils were limited to six hits.

Whitewater 5, Stout 1
The Warhawks picked up two quick runs in the second inning, then added single runs in the third and sixth innings before Stout would get on the board.

Eric Lund (Fr, Ashland) scored Tate Cummins (Sr, Austin, Minn) from second when he reached on an error for Stout's only run of the game.

Stout stranded nine runners, while the Warhawks left 12. Zak Arneson (So, Barneveld) picked up the loss, getting belted for 13 hits and four earned runs.

Cummins made Blue Devil history in the first inning when he reached on an error, then stole second to record his 44th career stolen base, breaking the record of 43 Mike Niemczak had set from 1990-94.

May 9, 1999

MENOMONIE - Tate Cummins (Sr, Austin, Minn) made UW-Stout history in the first inning of a 5-1 loss to UW-Whitewater Sunday, May 9, when he reached on an error, then stole second to record his 44th career stolen base, breaking the record of 43 Mike Niemczak had set from 1990-94.

Cummins currently has 17 stolen bases on the season as the Blue Devils head into the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs Saturday, May 15 when they face No. 1 nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh in Oshkosh.

Heading into last weekend's games, where Stout went 2-2, Cummins was second in the WIAC in stolen bases with 14, but his three stolen bases - two against UW-Platteville Saturday and the record breaker against Whitewater Sunday - jumped him into the conference lead. Cummins has been caught stealing twice this season and only six times in his career, going 44-for-50.

Cummins last season tied the Stout single season stolen base record when he had 21 thefts.

From the plate, Cummins is batting .278, going 35-for-126 with nine doubles and 14 RBI. Cummins has a fielding percentage of .944, playing both left field and second base.

Stout finished the regular season at 14-22 overall, 6-8 in the WIAC and is the fourth seed to the playoffs.

May 8, 1999

MENOMONIE - After splitting a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader with UW-Platteville, the UW-Stout baseball team has put themselves into a must-win situation when they face UW-Whitewater Sunday in order to advance to the WIAC playoffs.

The Blue Devils came back to win the first game, 8-7, when Tate Cummins (Sr, Austin, Minn) hit a two-run single in the eight inning to lift Stout (13-21, 5-7) to the win. Ryan Wolf (Fr, Adrian, Minn) came on in the fourth inning to do long relief and pick up the win.

Stout built up a 6-3 lead, but Platteville rallied in the fourth inning to chase starter Jake Streich (Fr, Howard Lake, Minn) with four runs. In the eighth, Cummins drove in Eric Lund (Fr, Ashland), who reached on an error, and Andy Guden (Jr, Medford), who walked.

But the Pioneers (9-28, 4-8) came back in the second game behind a 17-strikeout performance by Kris Agnew.

Stout built up a 3-1 lead in the second inning - highlighted by a solo home run by JR Dachel (Jr, Bloomer) - but the Pioneers tied the game int he third and went ahead for good when Merril Brunson delivered a two-run, two-out double. The Pioneers tacked on two runs in the eighth and ninth inning.

May 9, 1999

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's Tanya Petrie (Sr, Menomonie) was named to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) all-conference softball team for the fourth time, while her teammate, Cara Fenhouse (Jr, Superior) was named for the third time.

Petrie and Fenhouse provided much of the Blue Devils' offense throughout the season that saw Stout finish at 9-26 overall, 1-7 in the WIAC West Division.

Fenhouse, last season's West Division Player of the Year, hit a team-high .448, going 30-for-67, with four doubles, one triple, two home runs and 17 RBIs, third on the team. Fenhouse also stole five bases. Fenhouse, who converted from second base to catcher, led the team in slugging percentage with 42 total bases and a .627 slugging percentage. Fenhouse missed 10 games due to injuries throughout the season.

Petrie, who was twice a first team all-conference pick and once an honorable mention choice, had her best season at the plate since her freshman year.

Petrie had a team-high 25 RBI and ran her career total to a school career record 106. Petrie also is the school career leader in doubles, hitting 10 this season to finish her career with 36 doubles. Petrie finished the season with a batting average of .351, going 34-for-97 and had two triples and a home run. In the field, mostly at first base, but also at third base, Petrie had a fielding percentage of .939, which was third on the team of all regular starters.

Angie Pinnow (So, Bruce) was named as an honorable mention pick and was a first team pick last season. Pinnow finished with a batting average of .306, going 30-for-98, with six double and three triples. She led the team in stolen bases with 11.

May 7, 1999

STEVENS POINT - Five errors and a five-run second inning ended the UW-Stout softball season in the first game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament as the Blue Devils dropped an 8-0, five-inning decision to UW-Platteville, Friday, May 7 at Stevens Point.

In a poor weather plagued contest, the only thing Stout (9-26) could scatter was five errors as they were held to two hits. The Pioneers jumped on Blue Devil starter Rebecca Zimmerman (Jr, Fall Creek) for 11-hits. The Pioneers (15-23) weren't without mistakes, but Stout could not capitalize on Platteville's three errors.

May 8, 1999

LA CROSSE - Only a handful of UW-Stout track and field performers were on hand at the UW-La Crosse Outdoor Invitational Saturday, May 8.

Jamie Buchholtz (So, Bloomer) kept limber for the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships by winning the pole vault with a leap of 15-feet, 6-inches. Corey Knudsen (Fr, Elk Mound) was second in the event (15-2.75).

No team scores were kept.

The Blue Devils have a busy week scheduled as they attempt to qualify more performers to the national meet. Stout will be at UW-La Crosse Tuesday, May 11, at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday, May 13 and at the University of Minnesota Saturday, May 15.

Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)
800: 1. Matt Byington (Illinois Wesleyan) 1:51.37; 20. Dustin Green 2:01.62; 1500: 1. Tony Teunissen (Oshkosh) 3:55.77; 13. Alex Anderson 4:25.07; 5000: 1. Jesse Drake (Stevens Point) 14:36.41; 9. Clint Latz 15:23.85; 110-hurdles: 1. Mason Rebarchek (La Crosse) 14.35; Jeff Miller 16.28; 400-hurdles: 1. Chip Schneider (Unattached) 52.05; 6. Jesse Hunter 55.41; 9. Jeff Miller 59.00; 4X100-relay: 1. Oshkosh 41.68; 4. Stout 42.34;

Pole vault: 1. Jamie Buchholtz (Stout) 15-6.50; 2. Corey Knudsen 15-2.75; 6. Bob Cahow 14-10.75; 7. Jeff Rotering, Matt Lausted 14-6.75; Hammer: 1. Mike Kroening (La Crosse) 184-10.50; 7. Corey O'Donnell 157-5.50; Shot put: 1. Chris Reed (La Crosse) 52-10.75; 4. Mike Bethke 49-11.25; Discus: 1. Jason Dennis (Illinois Wesleyan) 161-11.50; 5. Corey O'Donnell 145-10.

Women's Track & Field

May 8, 1999

LA CROSSE - Michelle Abramczak (So, Stanley) won the 400-hurdles event at the UW-La Crosse Outdoor Invitational Saturday, May 8, but came up short in her bid to qualify to the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships.

Abramczak finished in a time of 1-minute, 8.18 seconds, which was short of the provisional qualifying time.

Andrea Schwabenlender (Fr, Bristol) was the only other Blue Devil competing at the meet, finishing eighth in the high jump (4-9.75).

No team scores were kept.

The Blue Devils have a busy week scheduled as they attempt to qualify more performers to the national meet. Stout will be at UW-La Crosse Tuesday, May 11, at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday, May 13 and at the University of Minnesota Saturday, May 15. They may also compete at Augustana in Rock Island, Ill, Friday, May 14 and at UW-Oshkosh Saturday, May 15.