Afternoon State Sports Briefs: UWL wins first game in WIAC baseball tournament

• UW-La Crosse

UW-La Crosse

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LA CROSSE - UW-La Crosse easily won its first game today in the WIAC baseball tournament, pounding Oshkosh 10-0 in eight innings.

UW-La Crosse is hosting the two-day double-elimination tournament, after winning the regular season league title. Brooks Braga hit a three-run homer and Cole Cefalu belted a two-run double for La Crosse, which improved to 31-9. Oshkosh moved into the loser’s bracket. Whitewater and Stevens Point were playing their conference tournament openers this afternoon.

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Less than three years after budget cuts left the UW-La Crosse baseball program for dead, a partnership with the city’s Northwoods League team could make the school’s team financially stable for years to come. The La Crosse Loggers and UWL have announced a partnership in which the Loggers would make an annual donation to the school – and the Eagles would move their games to where the Loggers play at La Crosse’s Copeland Park. University athletic director Josh Whitman says the deal could help the Eagles’ program in several ways – like cross promotions between the two, and better visibility in the community. A video board, Field Turf infield, and other improvements are planned for Copeland Park. The city would have to okay the move. A group of individuals saved UW-La Crosse baseball, after budget cuts in 2009 were supposed to eliminate the program. This year, the Eagles won the WIAC’s regular season title.

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Both Wisconsin teams in the Midwest Conference baseball tournament won their opening games today. Beloit College edged the host Grinnell 4-3. Jake Tresemer had the game-winning hit with an RBI in the seventh inning which broke a 3-3 tie. In another first round game, Saint Norbert topped Knox College, 3-1. Saint Norbert broke a 1-1 tie by scoring in both the fifth-and-sixth innings. Both Saint Norbert and Beloit moved on in the winners’ bracket. The double-elimination league tourney runs through tomorrow in Grinnell, Iowa.

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Randy Wolf will try to even his 2-3 record tonight, when his Milwaukee Brewers host the Chicago Cubs. Wolf has a six-point-six-eight ERA. He’s coming off a loss last Saturday at San Francisco in which he gave up four runs in six innings. The Cubs will send right-hander Matt Garza to the mound. He’s 2-and-1 with a two-point-six-seven ERA. Garza has not started since April 29th after getting the flu. In his most recent appearance, he struck out 10 against Philadelphia, giving up just one hit in seven scoreless innings. On April 12th, Garza was one out short of a three-hitter in a win over the Brewers. Wolf is 1-4 lifetime against the Cubs with a four-point-two-three ERA in a half dozen starts. He was the last Milwaukee pitcher to lose to the Cubs at Miller Park on April eighth of 2011. The Brewers and Cubs are tied for last place in the National League Central at 13-18.

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The Green Bay Packers said today that seven-of-their-eight draft picks from last month have signed their rookie contracts. And the only one not to sign yet was first-round outside linebacker Nick Perry. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, rookies have very little negotiating power. They generally must agree to salaries which are pre-determined according to their draft positions – and except for the first-rounder, they must all sign four-year contracts. First-rounders can have team options for a fifth year. The Packer draft choices now under contract are second-round defensive end Jerel Worthy, second-round corner Casey Hayward, fourth-round defensive tackle Mike Daniels, fourth-round safety Jerron McMillan, fifth-round linebacker Terrell Manning, seventh-round quarterback B.J. Coleman, and seventh-round tackle Andrew Datko. Also, the Packers have signed 14 undrafted free agents. Green Bay is beginning its three-day rookie camp today. It runs through Sunday.

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In Arena Football, the Milwaukee Mustangs will host Cleveland tonight. Milwaukee is 3-4. The Mustangs’ Kelvin Rodgers was named the league’s “Ironman-of-the-Week” after he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his second straight game. Milwaukee is coming off a 64-63 win at Philadelphia. The Cleveland Gladiators are 4-and-3. They had a bye last week, after beating Pittsburgh the week before, 58-43.

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Ripon College has named Ryan Kane as its new men’s basketball coach. Kane is a Green Bay native who has spent the last four years as the top assistant coach and the head of recruiting at Loras College in Dubuque Iowa. He has also been an assistant at Lawrence and Dominican, and he spent a year as the head coach at Ashwaubenon High School. At Ripon, Kane will replace Bob Gillespie – who’s retiring after 32 years as the head coach of the Red Hawks.

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