Titans' Scoring Limited In Losses To Beavers, Gorloks
UW-Oshkosh was limited to five runs in 21 innings during a pair of baseball losses on Monday (Feb. 29) in Sauget, Ill.
Buena Vista University (Iowa) scored five runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to beat UW-Oshkosh, 12-2, in eight frames before Webster University (Mo.) scratched out an unearned run in the bottom of the 13th inning to eke past the Titans, 4-3. Webster University entered the game ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III by D3baseball.com.
In the loss to Buena Vista University (3-1), UW-Oshkosh (0-4) starting pitcher Ben Messenger and his counterpart Jacob Hadaway were locked in a duel through six innings until the Beavers erupted for their 10 runs on just six hits over the final two frames.
Tied at 2 after six innings, Buena Vista University's Kendall Candor led off the seventh with a walk. The Beavers sacrificed pinch runner Kolby Hilgenberg to second base. After allowing a single and a walk to load the bases with one out, Messenger departed in favor of reliever Ryan Wilkening, who promptly yielded a two-run single to Neil Marshall.
Brandon Wessels and Tanner Truesdell followed with run-scoring hits off of Wilkening before he escaped the seventh inning, trailing 7-2.
Three Titan pitchers – Scotty Palmer, Adam Rude and Chris Atwood – combined to get one out in the Beavers' five-run eighth inning before Marshall scored to invoke the 10-run rule when Atwood's final pitch hit Devin Wagenman with the bases loaded.
Over the final two innings, UW-Oshkosh issued the Beavers six walks.
Wessels led Buena Vista University, going 3-for-4 with four runs batted in and two runs scored.
Hadaway did not factor in the decision after tossing six innings and ceding both UW-Oshkosh runs. He recorded six strikeouts and walked one.
Charlie Ruff earned the win in relief for the Beavers, pitching two hitless innings.
Messenger (0-1) was charged with the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks in 6.1 innings pitched.
In the setback to Webster University, UW-Oshkosh battled the nationally ranked Gorloks until an infield error with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning ended the contest.
Neither starting pitcher – UW-Oshkosh's Matt Sabel or Webster University's Johnny Lord – lasted through three innings as the Gorloks took a 3-2 advantage after three frames.
The Titans tallied a run in the top of the first inning as Johnny Eagan walked to lead off the game and came in to score on a single by Robbie Kleman.
Dylan Rajkovich drove in two Gorloks with a single in the second inning, but the Titans knotted the score at 2 when Tyler Kozlowski scored on an error by the Webster University catcher in the third.
Jak Milosch greeted Colan Treml, UW-Oshkosh's first reliever of the game, with a run-scoring single that provided Webster University a 3-2 edge in the third inning.
Treml went on to pitch 7.2 scoreless innings on just five hits with nine strikeouts before exiting in the 11th frame.
The Titans tied the score at 3 on an unearned run in the sixth inning.
UW-Oshkosh had baserunners on second and third base with two outs in the ninth inning, but Gorloks reliever Trey Tigart notched a strikeout to stymie the threat.
Webster University left two runners on base during the 10th and 11th innings and left one more stranded in the 12th.
After Lucas Gregory pitched a scoreless 11th and 12th innings for UW-Oshkosh, Max Keough took the mound to begin the decisive 13th. He struck out the first batter he faced before yielding a single to Mat Wollnik, who advanced to second on a groundout and scored on an error by Titan second baseman Dylan Ott.
Kyle Uhrich and Wollnik both recorded four of Webster University's 12 hits.
Mit Stefani received the win after pitching the 13th inning for the Gorloks.
UW-Oshkosh was led by two hits each by Alex Koch, Jack Paulson and Logan Reckert.
The Titans suffered their second 13-inning loss of the season. UW-Oshkosh opened the 2016 campaign with a 4-1 loss in 13 innings to North Park University (Ill.) on Feb. 27
UW-Oshkosh is idle until its trip to Florida from March 18-24. The Titans begin their seven-game, seven-day Florida schedule by playing The College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) on March 18 in Auburndale.