Titans, Johnnies Settle For One Victory Apiece

After its sixth straight one-run affair, the UW-Oshkosh baseball team overcame an 8-2 deficit with a nine-run inning to earn a doubleheader split with St. John's University (Minn.) on Wednesday (March 24) at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis, Minn.

Matt Butorac singled four times in leading St. John's University (Minn.) to a 10-9 victory in the opener. UW-Oshkosh then exploded for nine two-out runs in the sixth inning of the nightcap to rally for a 12-9 triumph.

A St. John's University fielding error and a wild pitch allowed UW-Oshkosh (4-4) to score on a Blake Berger (Jr. • Star Prairie) groundout in the first inning of the first game.

St. John's University (7-8) tied the score when Jimmy Loonan tripled home a run in the second inning. The Johnnies then broke out with five runs on three hits in the fourth inning to take a 6-1 lead. Following runs on a bases-loaded walk, sacrifice fly and a UW-Oshkosh throwing error, Kyle Henkemeyer smashed a two-run double.

UW-Oshkosh got one of its runs back in the fourth inning on a Berger solo home run.

St. John's University tallied three runs in the fifth inning, including two on a UW-Oshkosh throwing error and the other on a Loonan single. The Titans answered during their turn in the fifth inning with five runs on six hits, including a run-scoring triple by Nolan Fadness (Jr. • Eau Claire), run-scoring singles by both Andrew Eichstaedt (So. • Appleton) and Berger and a run-scoring double by Mickey Fadness (Sr. • Eau Claire).

St. John's University went ahead 10-7 on Butorac's run-scoring single in the sixth inning. The Johnnies held on for the win as the Titans closed the gap to 10-9 on a Berger run-scoring triple and a Derek Hiroskey (Jr. • Kimberly) sacrifice fly in the seventh inning.

Both teams totaled nine hits, including three for Berger and two for Tyler Kamps (Fr. • Appleton) of the Titans. In addition to Butorac's four hits, the Johnnies also received two from both Henkemeyer and Loonan.

The pitching loss fell on UW-Oshkosh's Matt Wells (Fr. • Little Chute), who yielded four runs and four hits in three innings before Troy Mrkvicka (So. • Greendale) gave up six runs and five hits over the final four frames.

Hayden Zimmerman of St. John's University picked up the pitching win despite surrendering seven runs and seven hits over the first 4.1 innings. Connor Cline then allowed two runs and two hits in 1.2 frames to set up Matt Johnson, who got the save after retiring three straight batters in the seventh inning.

Thanks to three UW-Oshkosh errors in the first four innings, St. John's University took a 7-0 lead in the second game. The Johnnies scored once in the second inning on an Andrew Gurbada double and twice in the third frame on a Loonan single. St. John's University added four runs in the fourth inning on a UW-Oshkosh wild pitch, a single by Bert Marsnik, a bases-loaded walk to Max Forster and a sacrifice fly by Loonan.

UW-Oshkosh's titanic comeback began in the fifth inning with singles by Doug Beattie (Fr. • Escanaba, Mich.) and Nolan Fadness and a two-run double by Berger. In the bottom half of the inning, a UW-Oshkosh throwing error allowed the Johnnies to increase their advantage to 8-2.

UW-Oshkosh stunned St. John's University with nine two-out runs in the sixth inning. The Titans banged out six hits in the frame, including a bases-loaded double by Eichstaedt and a two-run triple by Kyle Kannenberg (Sr. • Oshkosh). Run-scoring singles belonged to Beattie, Kamps, Mickey Fadness and Hiroskey.

St. John's University posted its final run on a Gurbada single in the sixth inning, but UW-Oshkosh bounced back with a solo home run by Beattie in the seventh.

UW-Oshkosh smacked 13 hits in the nightcap, including three by Beattie and two each by Eichstaedt, Mickey Fadness and Hiroskey. St. John's University marked 10 hits, including two each by Forster, Gurbada and Marsnik.

The Titans' Evan Matson (Jr. • Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada) obtained the win after allowing one run and one hit over the middle 1.2 innings. Andy Cordier (So. • Sturgeon Bay) tossed the opening 3.1 innings and allowed seven runs and seven hits. Kannenberg, who allowed one run and two hits, pitched the final two innings to achieve the save.

Five pitchers took to the mound for St. John's University. The loss fell on Johnson after he allowed three runs and three hits without retiring a batter. Brett Kramer started for the Johnnies and yielded four runs and five hits in 5.1 innings of duty.

The last of UW-Oshkosh's five doubleheaders at Mall of America Field will be played on Thursday (March 25) against Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.).