With back-to-back wins over Dodgeville and Lancaster late last week the Platteville varsity baseball team improved to 5-1 in conference play and took over sole possession of first place in the Southwest Wisconsin Conference.
Friday afternoon the Hillmen (5-3 overall) traveled to Lancaster and scored a 4-1 decision over the host Arrows.
     Platteville scored all of its runs in the first three innings, then hung behind the pitching from ace Logan Emendorfer and the solid defense behind him.
     Emendorfer (3-3), who belted an opposite field, two-run homer in the top of the first inning to help his own cause, allowed just one run on four hits in the complete game win. He struck out six and walked just three.
     Junior outfielder Nick Tashner drove in a run with a slicing RBI double down the left field line in the second, and Hunter Johnston’s RBI single in the third plated senior David Bast (pictured above).
Senior shortstop Gaige Lueder went 4-for-4 win the win.
     Last Thursday Jesse Heer and Emendorfer both hit home runs as the Hillmen held off visiting Dodgeville 8-7.
Heer also went 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
     Emendorfer went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and his solo homer in the bottom of the sixth provided the eventual game-winning run.
     After Dodgeville pulled within a run in the top of the seventh on a bases loaded walk by Ryan Bell, Johnston was called upon to get out of the jam.
     Johnston promptly struck out back to back batters, to record the save and preserve the Platteville win.

Southwestern 11, Platteville 5
(from Monday, April 23 @ Platteville)
Southwestern    101    630    0    - 11  11  0
Platteville    000    410    0    -   5    5  3
Leading hitters - S: Hinderman 2x4, Kephart 2x3, Kuhl 2x4, Fitzgerald 2x3; P: Jesse Heer 2x4. 2B - S: Kephart; P: Heer, Nick Tashner, Jesse White, Derek Schambow. W - Ben Kuhle. L - B.J. Cooley (0-1, 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 7 SO, 0 BB).

Richland Center 1, Platteville 0
(from Tuesday, April 24 @ R. Center)
Platteville    000    000    0    -   0   1  1
Rich. Center    010    000    x    -   1   3  0
Leading hitters - none. 3B - RC: Simonson. W - Wienkes (7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 13 SO, 0 BB). L - Logan Emendorfer (2-2, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 SO, 0 BB).

Platteville 8, Dodgeville 7
(from Thursday, April 26 @ Platteville)
Dodgeville    401    000    2    -   7   7  0
Platteville    004    121    x    -   8 15  0
Leading hitters - D: Larson 2x3, Simmons 2x4; P: Jesse Heer 4x4, B.J. Cooley 2x4, Logan Emendorfer 3x4, Gaige Lueder 2x3, Jesse White 2x3. 2B - D: Larson 2, Simmons, Hendrickson; P: David Bast. HR - P: Heer, Emendorfer. W - B.J. Cooley (1-1, 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 SO, 1 BB). L - Meeker (5.2 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 SO, 1 BB).  SV - Johnston (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 SO).