Titans Rally To Earn Tie With Cardinals
Johnny Eagan and Noah Polcyn both hit three-run home runs as UW-Oshkosh rallied to tie Saint Mary's University (MInn.), 11-11, in a baseball game called due to darkness after 10 innings on Friday (April 15) in Winona, Minn.
Eagan's three-run homer gave the Titans an 8-6 lead in the top in the eighth, while Polcyn's first career home run knotted the score at 11 in the ninth frame.
Saint Mary's University had the potential winning run on third base in both the ninth and 10th innings. The Cardinals' Cale Pieczynski flied out with runners on second and third base to end the ninth frame against UW-Oshkosh relief pitcher Scott Gorsuch, who also got Jacob Frost to ground into a double play with the bases loaded to end the game in the 10th.
UW-Oshkosh (8-9-1) played its fifth tie game in program history and first since an 11-11 score in nine innings against Lakeland College on May 6, 2002.
Jack Paulson went 3-for-4 with two walks, three runs and one run batted in for the Titans. Tyler Kozlowski and Polcyn both had two of UW-Oshkosh's 11 hits, while Eagan drove in four runs.
Willie Doll led Saint Mary's University (15-11-1) by going 4-for-5. Bob Kinne had three of the Cardinals' 15 hits, while Tyler Lursen, Pieczynski and Joe Seegers collected two hits each. Doll, Kinne and Pieczynski all recorded two RBIs.
UW-Oshkosh, which has scored at least 11 runs in each of its last four games, had a 5-2 lead heading into the home half of the fourth inning. Saint Mary's University reclaimed advantages with four unanswered runs over the fourth and fifth innings and a five-run eighth.
The Titans opened the scoring in the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Eagan. Jensen Hinton added a run-scoring groundout in the second frame, and Kozlowski brought home Eagan with a squeeze bunt in the third for a 3-0 Titan lead.
The Cardinals cut their deficit to 3-2 on RBI singles by Doll and Pieczynski in the bottom of the third inning, but UW-Oshkosh answered with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth frame when Hinton scored on a throwing error by Cardinals catcher Dixon Irwin and Dylan Ott delivered a sacrifice fly.
Saint Mary's University tied the game at 5 with three runs on three hits in the fourth inning. Kinne stole home as part of a double-steal following a strikeout, Seegers knocked in another run with a two-out double and Doll followed with a single to plate Seegers with the tying run.
The Cardinals' took their first lead of the game at 6-5 in the fifth inning when Ben Buerkle crossed the plate on a double-play groundout with runners at first and third base.
After Eagan's second homer of the year gave the Titans an 8-6 lead in the eighth inning, Saint Mary's University erupted for five runs in the home half of the frame on three hits, two hit batters and one walk against three UW-Oshkosh pitchers.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out on a pair of hit-by-pitches and one walk. Pieczynski and Buerkle recorded run-scoring singles to tie the game at 8 before Lursen lifted a sacrifice fly to reclaim the lead, and Kinne laced a two-out, two-run triple for an 11-8 advantage.
With one out in the UW-Oshkosh ninth inning, Trent Whitcomb singled and Taylor Grimm was hit by a pitch from R.J. Brown, the Cardinals' fourth pitcher of the game. Brown was relieved by A.J. Redders, and Polcyn greeted Redders with a home run that capped the scoring.
Saint Mary's University loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th inning on a hit-by-pitch from pinch-hitter Dirk Drohner, a single from Kinne and a walk from Redders. The game-ending double play off the bat of Frost was the fourth turned during the contest by the Titan trio of shortstop Paulson, second baseman Polcyn and first baseman Andy Brahier.
The game featured 14 pitchers, including nine from UW-Oshkosh.
Titans starting pitcher Matt Sabel and Ryan Wilkening, UW-Oshkosh's fourth pitcher of the game, both tossed two scoreless innings. Titans Brock Grenier and Gorsuch both pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to end the contest, while Chris Atwood did not allow a run during his one inning of work in the seventh frame.
UW-Oshkosh heads to UW-La Crosse for doubleheaders on Saturday (April 16) and Sunday (April 17). UW-La Crosse (14-5, 4-0 WIAC), last year's national runner-up, is ranked 12th in the NCAA Division III by D3baseball.com.