Baseball 3/27/02 -- Wisconsin-Platteville 7, Augsburg 3

GAME BOXSCORE

FORT MYERS, Fla. (3/27/02) -- Leadoff hitter Merrill Brunson scored three runs and hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, leading the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to a 7-3 win over Augsburg College in a Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic baseball game on Wednesday afternoon at Terry Park.

Wisconsin-Platteville evened its record at 3-3, while Augsburg dropped to 4-11 overall. Augsburg is 1-4 in its five games so far in Florida.

The Pioneers used a four-run fifth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate, to break a 1-1 tie and blow the game open. Augsburg scored twice in the top of the sixth, but Brunson's two-run homer in the bottom of the inning clinched the win.

Augsburg was limited to just four hits in the game, but had 12 walks and stranded 12 runners on base.

A bases-loaded walk by Jon Kozitza (So., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) scored Pat Marsh (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) in the top of the first inning for the Auggies, but Platteville tied the game on a Ryan Von Haden single, bringing in Brunson.

RBI singles from Emmanuel Rivera, Von Haden, Matt Hoff and an RBI groundout by Chris Olson brought home the four runs in the game-deciding fifth inning for Wisconsin-Platteville. Rivera, Von Haden and Bailey Brueggen had two hits apiece for the Pioneers.

Augsburg scored twice in the sixth, as Sammy Gross (Jr., Springfield, Minn.) brought Kozitza across after reaching base on an error, and Collin Nash (So., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) drove in a run on a groundout, scoring Adam Larson (So., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS). Larson went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Augsburg.

Wisconsin-Platteville used six pitchers in the game, with starter Craig West getting credit for the win. Joe Pontrelli (So., Eagan, Minn.) started and went three innings for the Auggies, with Russ Bauer (Jr., Faribault, Minn.) pitching four innings of relief. Matt Topp (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) finished the game for Augsburg.

Augsburg returns to action in the Gene Cusic Classic on Thursday (3/28), facing Otterbein (Ohio) at 10 a.m.

Wisconsin-Platteville 7, Augsburg 3
Augsburg -- 100 002 000 -- 3-4-2
Wis.-Platteville -- 100 042 00x -- 7-10-1
Pontrelli, Bauer (4), Topp (8) and Gross; West, Belcher (6), Wilkins (6), Oleskow (7), Hooks (8), Jacobson (9) and Levendoski. WP-West, LP-Bauer. HR-Brunson. T-2:50. A-50.