Marquette University's baseball club kicked off its fall season Saturday, losing 7-4 and 11-7 in a doubleheader against the Wisconsin-Whitewater club baseball squad.

The Golden Eagles came out strong in the first game, scoring all four of their runs in the first inning. A string of costly errors, however, allowed the Warhawks to take the lead. Sophomore Mike Sherwood and senior Pat Fritz pitched for Marquette, and senior Steve Laabs went 2-for-3 with a home run to lead the Golden Eagles at the plate. Junior Rob Albrecht was 2-for-4 with a double.

Junior Mark Schumacher pitched the first two innings, and John Biese pitched one frame while going 2-for-3 at the plate.

Even though baseball is not a varsity sport, the team still competes with schools in NCAA Division III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Marquette is a member of the National Club Baseball Association and schedules its season in the spring with the rest of the Western Lakes Conference. In an effort to prepare for the spring schedule, the Golden Eagles also square off against conference opponents in the fall.

After posting a 7-8 record last spring, Marquette is hoping to improve in 2005. The Golden Eagles field 15 returning players from last season after graduating only two starters: center fielder Justin Munzel and first baseman Steve Zienty.

"It's not the official season yet, so right now our goal is to just win every game," said Laabs, club president. "It's also important to get playing time for some of the newer guys."

Laabs cited experience and depth as the Golden Eagles' greatest strengths this season. The team's biggest weakness may be mental mistakes, a problem that plagued the Golden Eagles in Saturday's losses to UW-Whitewater.

Despite dropping both games to the Warhawks, Laabs viewed the experience as a springboard for the Golden Eagles.

This weekend the Baseball Club will participate in a round-robin tournament hosted by UW-Whitewater, with Wisconsin, UWM, and Southern Illinois.