Home run binge gives UW-SP baseball nine wins in last 10 Aided by a strong wind blowing straight out from home plate, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point baseball team hit eight home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Concordia (Wis.) Tuesday in its home opener at University Field. The Pointers hit three homers in a 12-6 opening game win and nailed five more in a 15-4 win in the nightcap. UW-SP now has won nine of its last 10 games to improve to 13-4 for the season. A pair of Pat McCann homers (one two-run blast and solo home run) and a Sam Molski solo shot helped the Pointers take a 7-1 lead after three innings. Four more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a Mike Wendorf two-run double, extended the lead to 11-1. Justin Duerkop pitched five innings to earn the win. Ryan Ivy provided most of the offense in the second game, finishing 4-for-4 with seven RBIs, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning and a grand slam in the sixth. The sophomore from Kenosha also finished 2-for-4 in the first game. The Pointers exploded for seven runs in the first inning as Rob Govek and Kevin Fry each hit two-run homers and Mike McCann had a two-run triple. Molski added a solo shot in the second inning before Ivy's two homers. UW-SP scored 12 of its 15 runs off of home runs. Bill Verbrick pitched the first four innings for the win and Jeremy Zimmerman pitched three innings of relief for the save. River City Classic The Pointers pounded out 12 hits in a 7-4 win over Bemidji State, but were held to just three hits in a 2-0 loss to St. Scholastica and finished 3-1 at the River City Classic in La Crosse. A solo homer by Molski in the first inning and a two-run shot by Ryan Ivy helped UW-SP take a 7-2 lead after the fourth. St. Scholastica broke UW-SP's seven-game winning streak by scoring a pair of unearned runs in the third. The Saints' pitcher Josh Lamppa allowed just three hits and the Pointers had just one runner reach second base the entire game. Justin Duerkop pitched a six-hit shutout in the opener and Sam Molski drilled a three-run homer in the second game to lead UW-SP to a sweep of games Friday at the River City Classic. The Pointers beat Viterbo 3-0 in La Crosse in the first game and then topped Division 2 Winona State 6-2 in Winona, Minn. in the second game. Duerkop struck out three and walked none in the win over Viterbo (13-9), which was coming off a victory over Marietta (Ohio), the top ranked team in Division 3. The Pointers scored single runs in the first, third and fourth innings. Mike McCann finished 2-for-4 and Pat McCann was 3-for-4. In the second game, UW-SP jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a five-run second inning, highlighted by Molski's three-run homer. He added a run-scoring double in the fourth and finished 2-for-3. Softball After suffering a tough 9-6 loss in the opening game of Tuesday's doubleheader with UW-Platteville, the Pointers responded with a 10-2 rout of the Pioneers to split their home opener. In the first game, the Pointers were one strike away from victory, but just two pitches later, trailed by three runs. Trailing 6-4 in the seventh, Platteville had the bases loaded with two outs when Beth Shaw hit a two-run single with two strikes to tie the game. Kim Gleason followed with a three-run homer. Kelly Rutta, a former Pacelli High star, supplied much of the Pointers' offense in the first game, hitting a pair of two-run homers. UW-SP bounced back in the second game, scoring four runs in the first inning. The Pointers then took a 7-2 lead when Nikki Best drew a bases-loaded walk and Rutta ripped a two-run double. The Pointers won the game on the eight-run rule, scoring three runs in the seventh inning on two hits, two walks and a pair of Platteville errors. Karen Guckenberger improved to 7-0 for the season, striking out seven and walking one in the complete game victory. The Pointers are now 10-5-1 overall and 1-1 in the WIAC. The Pointers travel to Menominee on Saturday and Sunday for the UW-Stout tournament. Track and field The Pointers won both the men's and women's team titles to open the outdoor track and field season on a winning note at the Colman Invitational Saturday in Stevens Point. Seven different men and women won individual events. Craig Gunderson (200-meters in 22.68), Jesse Drake (1,500 in 3:59.66), Shane Suehring (3,000 steeplechase in 9:29.15), Mike Mead (high jump with 6-feet-9), Joel Schult (discus with 154-5), Steve Melin (javelin 177-3) and the 4x100 relay team (42.06 seconds) all finished first for the men's team. On the women's side, Leah Juno (3,000 in 10:47.94), Becky Lebak (5,000 in 17:55.36), Julie Stemper (400 hurdles in 1:09.93), Bridget Frederick (400 in 1:01.93), Lisa Brownie (long jump with 16-11-1/2), Nicki Merten (shotput with 35-1/2) and the 4x100 relay team (50.63) won events.