Strong Pitching Leads Pioneers To Sweep Of Titans

Lucas Keller and Austin Daniels pitched complete-game victories as UW-Platteville swept a pair of baseball games over UW-Oshkosh on Friday (May 6) in Platteville.

UW-Platteville (20-18, 6-12 WIAC) defeated UW-Oshkosh (16-19-1, 7-11 WIAC) by scores of 6-2 in the opening game and 3-2 in the nightcap. UW-Oshkosh entered the four-game, season-ending series with the Pioneers needing just one win to secure a berth to the four-team WIAC Championship that begins May 13 in La Crosse.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville will conclude the regular season with a doubleheader on Saturday (May 7) in Platteville.

In Friday's first game, Keller allowed just five hits and Colin DeBoer homered as UW-Platteville scored five unearned runs on four UW-Oshkosh errors.

UW-Oshkosh took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a single by Dylan Ott that scored Robbie Kleman.

UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Jesse Sustachek retired seven straight UW-Platteville batters until Casey Schroeder doubled to lead off the fourth inning. Sustachek struck out the next two batters before walking Jonny Frese. Schroeder then came around to score the tying run on an infield error.

DeBoer hit a one-out, solo home run to give UW-Platteville the lead for good in the fifth inning.

The Pioneers tacked on four unearned runs in the sixth inning on two hits, two walks and three UW-Oshkosh errors.

Tanner Galeazzi reached second base on an infield error to begin the decisive sixth inning. Evan Greco scored Galeazzi with a single, Frese followed with a double and another infield error allowed Greco to cross home plate. George Jester III then reached first base on the third Titan infield error of the inning to end Sustachek's outing.

Chris Atwood relieved Sustachek and struck out the first batter he faced before uncorking a wild pitch that brought home Frese from third base. Atwood walked DeBoer before tossing another wild pitch that allowed a run and walking Zack Iverson to load the bases.

Atwood exited in favor of Scott Gorsuch, who recorded the final two outs to strand the bases loaded and keep the UW-Oshkosh deficit at 6-1.

UW-Oshkosh's Tyler Kozlowski drove home Kleman with a one-out double in the seventh inning, but Keller allowed the Titans just one more hit for the remainder of the game.

Keller tossed his first complete game of the season by striking out four batters and walking five.

Sustachek (2-4) was charged with the loss after ceding six runs (one earned) on five hits in five-plus innings pitched. He struck out six and walked one.

In the second contest, UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Ben Messenger and Daniels were locked in a scoreless battle through six innings, but the Pioneers erased a 1-0 deficit with a three-run seventh frame.

UW-Oshkosh stranded five runners and UW-Platteville left four on base through the first six innings. The Titans finally broke through in the seventh inning when Dylan Ott led off with a single, stole second base, advanced to third base on a fly out and scored a two-out bunt single by Jack Paulson.

The Pioneers answered with three runs on three hits in the home half of the seventh inning.

Messenger walked Frese to start the fateful seventh inning. Max Meitzler followed with a single and pinch runners Taylor Christopher and Jim Pavlik advanced to second and third base, respectively, on a wild pitch. Jester III followed with a single to tie the score and knock Messenger from the game.

Lucas Gregory came on in relief for the Titans and gave up a sacrifice fly to the first batter he faced, Todd Wienkes, and proceeded to allow a single to DeBoer and a walk to Iverson that loaded the bases.

Matt Sabel relieved Gregory and yielded a sacrifice fly to Schroeder before ending the inning with a groundout.

Kleman got a one-out base hit in the eighth inning, and Kozlowski followed with a run-scoring double to trim the UW-Platteville advantage to 3-2, but Daniels preserved the victory by setting down the final five UW-Oshkosh batters in order.

Daniels notched his first complete game of the season, scattering nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Galeazzi, Jester III, and Meitzler each had two of UW-Platteville's nine hits.

Messenger (3-3) suffered the loss for the Titans, allowing three runs on eight hits in six-plus innings pitched. He walked two and struck out four.

Kleman had a game-high three hits for UW-Oshkosh, which also received two hits from Noah Polcyn.