After an 0–3 start that included a pair of one-run losses, the Platteville baseball team found its rhythm.
The Hillmen won four straight games to begin last week before suffering a loss to host Chieftains in the championship game of the Riverdale Tournament on Saturday.
Last Tuesday, Matt Lambert went drove in a pair of runs and scored two others as the Hillmen took advantage of seven Cassville errors in a 10–3 win over the Comets. Lambert also picked up the win, allowing one earned run over four innings, and freshman Ben Pluemer pitched the final three innings for the save. Senior catcher Matt Withrow went 4-for-5 in the win.
Tuesday afternoon, junior Blake Noel led the Hillmen both at the plate and on the mound in an 11–1 five-inning victory over visiting Iowa–Grant. Noel struck out four and allowed just one run on four hits in the complete game win. He also went 3-for-4 with a double and twp RBIs. Withrow went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs.
Friday afternoon, Platteville open conference play with a dominating 13–2 win at Lancaster.
Sophomore Garret Heer went 4-for-4 and drove in a game-high five runs to aid his own cause. On the mound, the lanky right hander struck out four and allowed just one earned run on four hits in the five-inning complete game victory. Junior Braden Nies went 4-for-5 with four stolen bases and two runs scored. Seniors Josh Reuter and Mitch Knockel each went 2-for-3, with three runs scored and multiple RBIs.
Saturday morning, coach Brian Reuter’s Hillmen won their fourth consecutive game with an 8–6 non-conference win over Hillsboro in the first game of the Riverdale Tournament.
The Hillmen exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the first inning and hung from there. Sophomore shortstop Coleman Brecke and Pleumer hit back-to-back two-run doubles to cap the rally. Pluemer also went the distance on the mound, battling through a rough fourth inning, to earn the complete game victory. He allowed six runs on eight hits and struck out four in seven innings.
Riverdale ended Platteville’s four-game winning streak with a dominating 16–1 win in the championship game.
Platteville (4–4, 1–0 SWC) will return to action Thursday at home against Fennimore before traveling to Richland Center for a make-up game Friday.
Iowa–Grant upsets Fennimore, 3–2
First-year Iowa–Grant coach Aaron Zimmer and his Panthers notched their first win of the season with a 3–2 walkoff victory over preseason SWAL favorite Fennimore last Tuesday afternoon.
Senior Acea Upmann drove in Caleb Hill with the game-winning run on a ground ball to the shortstop in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Hill, who gave the Panthers (1–2, 0–1 SWAL) a 2–1 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, walked to lead off the seventh, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. Hill also picked up the win striking out three and allowing one run in three innings of relief.
Fennimore (4–3, 0–2 SWAL) tied the game in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by Trevor Neuroth.
Iowa–Grant suffered a 3–2 loss at Cuba City on Monday. The Cubans scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to rally for the win, taking a 3–2 lead on Dylan Timmerman’s RBI triple.
The Panthers will return to action Friday at Riverdale before traveling to Galena on Saturday.
Platteville 10, Cassville 3
(from Tuesday, April 12 @ Cassville)
Platteville 002 020 6 — 10 9 1
Cassville 101 010 0 — 3 6 7
Leading hitters — P: Jason Withrow 4x5; C: Colton Reynolds 3x3. 2B — P: Withrow, Matt Lambert; C: Cam Jensen.
W — Matt Lambert (1–0, 4IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 4K, 6BB). L — Jack Jensen (3IP, 3H, 2R, 1 ER, 3K, 0BB). SV — Ben Pluemer (1, 3IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 4K, 1BB).
Platteville 11, Iowa–Grant 1
(from Thursday, April 14 @ Platteville)
Iowa–Grant 100 00 — 1 4 0
Platteville 207 02 — 11 17 0
Leading hitters — P: Matt Lambert 2x3, Jason Withrow 3x4, Mitch Knockel 2x4, Josh Reuter 2x4, Blake Noel 3x4, Colemen Brecke 2x3, Ben Pluemer 2x2. 2B — IG: Charles Christianson; P: Withrow, Noel.
W — Blake Noel (1–0, 5IP, 4H, 1 ER, 4K, BB). L — Brent Coppernoll (0–1, 3IP, 13H, 9R, 9ER, 0K, 2BB).
Platteville 13, Lancaster 2
(from Friday, April 15 @ Lancaster)
Platteville 500 44 — 13 17 2
Lancaster 110 00 — 2 4 1
Leading hitters — P: Braden Nies 4x5, Mitch Knockel 2x3, Josh Reuter 2x3, Blake Noel 3x3, Garret Heer 4x4; L: Jordan Reuter 2x3. 2B — P: Knockel, Jason Withrow.
W — Garret Heer (1–1, 5IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 4K, 4BB). L — Drew Reuter (3IP, 10H, 5R, 5ER, 2K, 0BB).
Riverdale Tournament
Platteville 8, Hillsboro 6
(from Saturday, April 16 @ Muscoda)
Hillsboro 000 411 0 — 6 8 2
Platteville 701 000 x — 8 9 1
Leading hitters — H: Ethan Thorson 2x2, Dane Bach 2x3; P: Jason Withrow 2x4, Colemen Brecke 2x3. 2B — H: Thorson; P: Brecke, Pluemer.
W — Ben Pluemer (1–0, 7IP, 8H, 6R, 5ER, 4K, 4BB). L — Nick Stekel (0.1IP, 4H, 7R, 5ER, 0K, 3BB).
Riverdale Tournament
Riverdale 16, Platteville 1
(from Saturday, April 16 @ Muscoda)
Platteville 001 00 — 1 1 5
Riverdale 253 6x — 16 12 2
Leading hitters — P: none; R: Trevor Troxel 3x4, Trevor Johnson 2x4, Caleb Johnson 2x3. 2B — R: Johnson, Troxel 2, Johnson.
W — Josh Reuter (0–2, 2IP, 5H, 7R, 3ER, 0K, 1BB). L — Elijah Cannon (5IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 10K, 2BB).
Iowa–Grant 3, Fennimore 2
(from Tuesday, April 11 @ Livingston)
Fennimore 000 100 1 — 2 7 3
Iowa–Grant 000 200 1 — 3 4 3
Leading hitters — F: Jordan Williams 2x4; IG: none. 2B — F: Trevor Neuroth.
W — Charles Christianson (1–1, 4IP, 5H, 1ER, 1K, 4 BB). L — Trey Hunt (6.1IP, 4H, 3ER, 8K, 4BB). SV — Caleb Hill (1, 3IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, 3SO, 2BB).
Cuba City 3, Iowa–Grant 2
(from Wednesday, April 18)
Iowa–Grant 100 100 0 — 2 5 3
Cuba City 000 100 1 — 3 6 1
Leading hitters — IG: none; CC: Justin Droessler 2x3. 2B — CC: Dylan Timmerman.
W — Adam Kane (7IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 8K, 2BB). L — Caleb Hill (0–1, 6IP, 6H, 3R, 2ER, 5SO, 2BB).
