FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Apr. 25, 2014)-- After a doubleheader sweep of nemesis Lewis University on Wednesday, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside baseball team remains in contention for a spot in the 2014 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. The Rangers hope to strengthen their hopes this weekend, traveling to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for a four-game set against Bellarmine University.
 
The Rangers and Knights hit the field at 12 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Saturday for a twinbill at Knights Field and close the series on Sunday afternoon with a 12 p.m. (Eastern) start.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (12-24, 10-18 GLVC) heads into the weekend having won two in a row and four of the last five GLVC games. The Rangers recent run began last Friday, rebounding from a 3-1 setback to down host University of Illinois Springfield 6-2 in the second game. UIS seized the first game the next day by a 7-6 score but UW-Parkside leveled the series with a wild 11-8 win to salvage the split.
 
Parkside's GLVC success continued on Wednesday afternoon, pounding visiting Lewis 11-3 in the opener courtesy of two home runs and six RBIs from Derek Tuttle while an Eric DuCharme walkoff single gave the Rangers the 3-2 come-from-behind victory in game two to net the squad's first doubleheader sweep of the season.
 
Sandwiched between the UIS and Lewis games was a non-conference tilt with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Tuesday night at Simmons Field. Milwaukee pushed across the first seven runs, all unearned, en route to the 13-3 win in the first collegiate game at the newly renovated facility and future home of the Northwoods League Kenosha Kingfish.
 
DuCharme and DJ Peltz lead the Rangers in batting average, both sporting a .313 on the season. DuCharme has 14 RBIs and seven extra base hits while Peltz has driving in 12 runs. Ryan Ruediger is the third Ranger hitting above .300, sporting a .309 average with 14 RBIs. Zach Cunningham is UW-Parkside's leading RBI man with 17 on the season along with a team-best six stolen bases.
 
On the mound, Joseph Plaud has a team-best 2.70 earned run average in 36 2/3 innings of action. Cole Kroncke owns a 3.83 ERA with 27 punchouts and three complete games while Mario Samuel leads the team in wins with four while notching 40 strikeouts. Fellow freshman Josh Serio has been a workhorse, leading the team in both innings pitched (57 2/3) and strikeouts (50).
 
About the Knights: Bellarmine (16-26, 7-21 GLVC) looks to bust a six-game slide, returning home to the friendly confines of Knights Field. Of Bellarmine's 16 wins, 13 have come at home as the Knights have struggled on the road, owning just a 3-13 mark away from Louisville.
 
The Knights won three of four against Saint Joseph's College on April 12-13 before hitting the road and dropping a twinbill against the University of Southern Indiana (L, 0-4; L, 1-11) and a four-game set against the University of Indianapolis last weekend (L, 4-6; L, 10-11; L, 4-7; L, 0-1).
 
Austin Crutcher is BU's top hitter, owning a .351 batting average with 16 extra base hits and 24 RBIs. Jes Staples is hitting .335 with 16 RBIs while Andy Gehr and Nick Wright are hitting .320 and .308, respectively.
 
On the mound, Staples has been nearly lights out, owning a 0.78 earned run average after allowing just two earned runs in 23 innings of action. Curtis McCombs has a 2.45 ERA with two complete games and leads the Knights in innings pitched (55) and strikeouts (46).

Tour de Kenosha: UW-Parkside has now played home games at three different ball fields spread across the greater Kenosha area. The Rangers opened their home slate with a doubleheader at the on-campus Oberbruner Field in Somers before moving to the artificial surface at Carthage College's Augie Schmidt Field the following day due to rain. The Rangers third venue in the area was utilized on Tuesday night, hosting UWM at Simmons Field home of the Kenosha Kingfish. Across all three venues, UW-Parkside owns a 3-4 record, including a 3-1 record at its true home, Oberbruner Field.