Titans Take Doubleheader From Blue Devils
Ben Messenger took a perfect game into the fifth inning in the opener and the UW-Oshkosh baseball team never trailed in sweeping a pair of games at UW-Stout on Sunday (April 26).
UW-Oshkosh (20-14, 10-10) won by scores of 4-2 in the first game and 8-5 in the nightcap. The Titans, who won the last three of the four-game weekend series at UW-Stout, remain two games behind in the loss column in the chase for the fourth and final WIAC Tournament berth with four contests remaining.
In the first game, Messenger retired the 14 first Blue Devils before issuing a walk with two outs in the fifth inning. Messenger did not allow a hit until Jake Johnson singled to lead off the sixth inning, and Charlie Meyer broke up Messenger's shutout with a solo home run in the seventh frame.
Messenger (3-4) wound up with his first complete-game win of the season, yielding just two runs on four hits in nine innings pitched. He struck out four and walked three.
UW-Oshkosh took a 1-0 lead on Robbie Kleman's two-out double in the second inning. A Jack Paulson groundout plated the Titans' second run in the fourth frame, and UW-Oshkosh increased its advantage to 4-0 with two runs in the fifth inning after Logan Reckert delivered a run-scoring single and Kleman drew a bases-loaded walk.
Messenger issued two walks to bring the potential tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth inning. Ryan Connor hit an RBI single with two outs to cut the UW-Stout deficit to 4-2, but Messenger stranded two Blue Devils on base by inducing a fly ball to end the game.
Andy Brahier, Kleman and Reckert each recorded two of UW-Oshkosh's nine hits.
UW-Stout starting pitcher Zach Carlson (4-5) suffered the loss, allowing all four runs on eight hits and four walks in seven innings.
In the second contest, UW-Oshkosh freshman closer Ryan Chancellor saved a win for freshman starting pitcher Jesse Sustacheck, and the Titan offense received two hits from five players.
Sustacheck improved his record to 4-0 on the season after allowing four runs in 6.2 innings pitched. Chancellor notched his third save of the year, yielding one unearned run over the final 2.1 frames.
Jacob Pohlman's two-out, two run double opened the scoring in the third inning, and the Titans upped their lead to 3-0 in the fourth frame when Reckert came in on an error by UW-Stout second baseman Austin Littman.
UW-Oshkosh went ahead 7-2 in the seventh inning after Brahier doubled home one run and Kleman's double plated two more.
UW-Stout closed within 7-4 on Schneider's two-run single in the home half of the seventh inning, but UW-Oshkosh hit three consecutive singles to lead off the eighth frame, including Tyler Kozlowski's infield safety that drove in the eighth Titan run.
After the Blue Devils scored an unearned run in the eighth inning and put a runner on first with one out in the ninth, Chancellor got Meyer to line into a double play to end the game.
Brahier, Kleman, Pohlman, Noah Polcyn and Reckert each had two of UW-Oshkosh's 13 hits.
UW-Stout starting pitcher Drew Worth (4-3) took the loss after giving up four runs (three earned) in five innings.
Kasey Kruse and Nalbach paced the Blue Devils (16-17, 4-14 WIAC) with two hits apiece.
UW-Oshkosh, which has won nine of its last 10 games, begins a six-game homestand with a non-conference contest against Lawrence University on Tuesday (April 28) at Tiedemann Field.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Lafky, UW-Stout Sports Information