For the Gazette
MAUSTON – Three UW-Stevens Point pitchers combined for two one-hit shutouts as the No. 25 Pointers (13-2, 5-1) completed the series sweep of Finlandia (3-15, 0-8). UWSP won game one, 5-0, and game two, 11-0 in seven innings.

Casey Pickering (Naperville, IL) nearly tossed a complete game no-hitter in game one. He gave up one hit, coming with two outs in the ninth. In game two, JD Schultz (Stevens Point) allowed one hit over 6.0 innings and

Jacob Meinholz (Middleton) pitched a hitless seventh. The trio combined for 14 strikeouts on the day.
Matt Baumann (New Berlin) and Payton Nelson (Wausau) each had three hits on the day Nelson drove in three runs. Aaron Simmons (Franklin) clubbed UWSP’s only home run of the day, a two-run shot in game two.

Quin Henwood (Appleton) and Anthony Tomczak (Muskego) each had a two-hit game on the day. Simmons, Bradley Comer (Rhinelander), Lucas Luedtke (River Falls) and Jakob Boos (Littleton, CO) also hit safely in both games

Game 1 – UWSP 5, Finlandia 0

Baumann and Simmons hit consecutive singles to lead off the first. After a steal, Nelson drove in the first run with a sac fly.

Logan Matson (Neillsville) led off the third with a single. Then with two away, Nelson singled to push the UWSP advantage to 2-0.

The Pointers tacked on another run in the sixth. Comer singled and stole one of his six steals on the day to move to second. With two down, Luedtke drew a walk and moved to third on a single by Tomczak. Tomczak got caught in a rundown long enough for Luedtke to score for a 3-0 lead.

Comer and Henwood were each hit by a pitch to begin the eighth. Stolen bases put both in scoring position for

Luedtke to lift a sac fly. A Finlandia error allowed another run to score making it 5-0.
Pickering took care of the rest, tossing the complete game shutout. He struck out six and allowed just one walk.

He carried a no-hit bid into the ninth, losing it with two outs in the ninth inning.

Game 2 – UWSP 11, Finlandia 0 (7)

The Pointers matched their game one output with five runs in the first inning of game two. Baumann and Nelson each hit doubles and two Lions’ miscues gave UWSP a 5-0 lead.

UWSP added on to the lead in the fourth. Boos and Baumann had hits plating the first run. Then Simmons blasted a two-run home run to right. UWSP would tack on another run on a Henwood RBI single to lead 9-0.

In the sixth, Comer drew a one-out walk. Consecutive singles by Henwood, Luedtke and Kyle Finger (Clintonville) pushed home two runs for the 11-0 lead.

Schultz struck out seven in six innings of work in the start. He allowed his first, and only, hit of the game to begin the sixth. Meinholz struck out one in a scoreless seventh.