The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers lost a doubleheader 9-3, 7-0 to conference juggernaut University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks at Kendall Murray Field on April 22.

The first game provided the most productivity for the Pioneers, especially the pitching staff, as they held the Warhawks to no earned runs through the first three innings of play.

Unfortunately, it was the fourth inning, when junior pitcher Mike Boushley gave up four runs, which eventually led to his fourth loss of the year at 2-4.

“With our pitching, we put up a lot of zeros on the day. We just gave up a few big innings at the wrong times,” head coach Eric Frese said.

After the Warhawks put up another score in the fifth, the Pioneers rallied back with three runs of their own, cutting the lead to two by the end of the inning.

In the eighth inning, the Warhawks were able to add on four more scores against the Pioneers’ sophomore pitcher Austin Daniels, as they then cruised to a 9-3 victory with the loss going to Boushley.

Sophomore infielder Zack Iverson ended the game, as the Pioneers’ leading hitter went 3-4 with two RBI’s.

The second game was a little more consistent for the Pioneers, as they never gave up more than one run in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings.

Freshman pitcher Eric Curtis started on the mound for the Pioneers, pitching two innings, giving up only one run and eventually earning the second loss.

“I feel like we started each game with good pitching, but we didn’t give our pitchers good run-support early on,” senior outfielder Ryan Duva said. “We have to take advantage of good pitching when we can get it; we just couldn’t get it done today.”

After holding the conference at-bat leading Warhawks to only four runs while using five different pitchers throughout eight innings, the Pioneers gave up three more runs in the top of the ninth, as the Warhawks won their second game with a Pioneer shutout, 7-0.

“They’re the best offensive team in the country, let alone the conference. Our kids hung in there and competed very well at times,” Frese said.

The Pioneers’ pitching staff consists of seven freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors, with junior Mike Boushley producing the bulk of the innings pitched with 59.

“We’re to the point now where we really don’t have anything to lose, so pitchers might as well go out there, have some fun and throw strikes,” Boushley said.

The Pioneers are now sitting at 2-8 in conference and 6-22 overall, with six of their seven games that remain taking place on the road.

As the final weeks of the season approach, the Pioneers look to end the season with momentum and strong attributes to build off of for the future of this young team.

“We’re looking to have some success over the last few games and keep building on things for the future,” Frese said. “We have a lot of young guys who we want to keep developing as the weeks go on.”

The Pioneers played Loras College yesterday with the final scores to be announced.