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

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Mar. 30, 2015)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside baseball squad suffered up pair of defeats to close out its four-game series with Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division rival Bellarmine University on Monday afternoon, falling 5-3 and 18-4 at Knights Field.

Bellarmine (12-10, 6-6 GLVC) struck first in the opener, scoring an unearned run in the second inning. The Rangers (5-10, 4-8 GLVC) answered in the bottom of the second with a Nick Janssen single to left field scoring DJ Peltz who led off the frame by drawing a walk. UW-Parkside seized the lead in the next inning with a Jake Kolasinski double down the left field line plating Zach Thompson. The Knights reclaimed the lead with a pair of runs in the fifth but the Rangers again equalized with Peltz drawing a bases load walk to score Thompson. the game remained deadlocked until BU's Austin Crutcher hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh, giving the Knights the 5-3 lead and conclude the scoring.

Thompson highlighted the Rangers at the plate, finishing three-for-four while Ryan Ruediger and Janssen each finished with a pair of hits.

John Perez suffered the loss, tossing the final 1 1/3 innings in relief of Mario Samuel and allowing two earned runs. BU reliever Will Birch netted the win, tossing the final 2 1/3 innings in the seven inning affair.

A Bellarmine offensive explosion in both the second and eighth innings doomed the Rangers in game two, giving the Knights the 18-4 win to sweep the doubleheader.

UW-Parkside struck first, with Troy Bittenbender leading off the bottom of the first inning with an infield single before scoring on the next at bat as Cunningham drilled a double to left center field. Bellarmine answered with an eight run outburst in the second to claim the lead and led 11-1 after 5 1/2 innings of action. Bryan Wade drove in a run in the sixth inning as did Ruediger in the seventh and Andrew Luscomb in the eighth, but the BU offense notched a single run in the seventh and six in the eighth to conclude the day.

Zach Cunningham and Wade paced the Rangers at the plate, both collecting a pair of hits.

John Dokolas suffered the loss for the Rangers, tossing the opening 1 1/3 innings as the Rangers utilized six pitchers in the loss. BU's Zach Williams landed the win, striking out four in six innings of work.

The Rangers return to the diamond on Wednesday, taking on Lewis University in a twinbill in Romeoville, Illinois.