Titans Split Games With Third-Ranked Warhawks
Ben Messenger pitched into the eighth inning and Robbie Kleman and Tyler Kozlowski drove in three runs apiece in the nightcap as UW-Oshkosh split a baseball doubleheader at nationally ranked UW-Whitewater on Saturday (April 23).
UW-Whitewater (19-5, 7-3 WIAC), ranked third in the NCAA Division III by D3baseball.com, pulled away for a 7-1 win in the opening game before UW-Oshkosh (11-14-1, 4-6 WIAC) responded with an 8-4 victory in the second contest.
The Warhawks entered the weekend leading the nation with a 2.41 earned run average. UW-Whitewater starting pitcher Ankur Shah, who ranked third in the country with a 0.72 ERA, suffered his first loss of the season during the nightcap.
In Saturday's second game, UW-Oshkosh erased a 2-1 deficit with four runs in the sixth inning and held on for the win.
The Titans scored an unearned run against Shah after Jack Paulson reached on an error by Warhawks third baseman Cal Aldridge to lead off the game and came in to score on a one-out grounder by Andy Brahier.
Aldridge immediately atoned for his error by tying the game with an RBI groundout in the home half of the first inning off of Messenger, and UW-Whitewater claimed a 2-1 advantage on a sacrifice fly by Austin Jones in the third frame.
Shah retired 11 consecutive UW-Oshkosh batters until Kozlowski singled to lead off the fifth inning, but Shah stranded Kozlowski at second base to lower his season ERA to 0.60.
Messenger walked Daytona Bryden to begin the home half of the fifth frame. Bryden stole second base and was sacrificed to third base with one out, but the Titans kept their deficit to one run by tagging him out at third base after a rundown.
Paulson led off the ensuing inning with a single, went to second base on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third base when another error by Aldridge allowed Johnny Eagan to reach first.
The Titans then knotted the score on a run-scoring single by Brahier, which was followed by a two-run double by Kleman and an RBI single by Kozlowski. UW-Oshkosh proceeded to load the bases with two outs in the sixth frame against Shah, but Heath Renz relieved Shah and induced a groundout off the bat of Paulson – the 10th Titan batter of the inning.
Kozlowski hit a two-out double in the seventh inning off of Renz that scored Brahier and Eagan for a 7-2 Titan lead.
Jordan Kuczynski answered with a two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning that trimmed the UW-Oshkosh lead to 7-4 and ended Messenger's outing.
After Kleman delivered an insurance run with a single to score Eagan in the ninth inning, Titan relief pitcher Matt Sabel pitched around a one-out single by notching two strikeouts and a groundout to earn his first career save.
Messenger improved his season record to 3-1 by allowing four runs on seven hits in 7.2 innings pitched. He walked three and struck out five.
Kozlowski had three of UW-Oshkosh's 10 hits while Brahier, Eagan and Kleman added two apiece.
Shah (3-1), who entered the game with five runs (two earned) allowed this season, was tagged for five runs (three earned) against UW-Oshkosh. He yielded five hits and two walks without recording a strikeout.
Blake Fleischman recorded two of the Warhawks' eight hits.
In Saturday's opening game, UW-Whitewater broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run third inning and pulled away with single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth frames.
UW-Oshkosh committed five errors that led to four unearned runs in the contest, while UW-Whitewater played error-free defense.
The Warhawks opened the scoring on a run-scoring single by Trent Diekvoss in the second inning off of UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Jesse Sustachek.
Noah Polcyn knotted the score with a solo home run – his second of the year – against UW-Whitewater starting pitcher Mike Nompleggi, who went on to complete his first game of the season.
Kuczynski drove home the eventual winning run on an infield single in the third inning. He later scored the Warhawks' third run of the frame on a passed ball with two outs.
Nompleggi retired seven consecutive UW-Oshkosh batters after Polcyn's home run. The Titans left five runners on base over the fifth and sixth innings, but Nompleggi set down 10 of the final 11 batters he faced, allowing just a two-out, eighth-inning single to Brahier after the sixth frame.
UW-Whitewater received RBIs from Blake Fleischman in the fifth inning, Connor Schneider in the sixth and Matt Wary in the eighth to cap the scoring.
Nompleggi (2-0) scatted five hits, walked two and struck out seven.
Dane Burman went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs to pace the Warhawks, who also received two of their 10 hits from Wary.
Brahier paced the Titans with two hits, while Taylor Grimm added a double.
Sustachek (1-3) was saddled with the loss, yielding seven runs (three earned) on 10 hits in 7.2 innings pitched. He recorded three strikeouts against one walk.
UW-Oshkosh remains in Whitewater for a doubleheader with the Warhawks on Sunday (April 24).