Titans Defeat Pointers, Ousted From WIAC Championship By Warhawks
Lake Bachar pitched a complete game with a career-high 11 strikeouts as nationally ranked UW-Whitewater eliminated UW-Oshkosh from the WIAC Baseball Championship on Saturday (May 14) in La Crosse.
UW-Oshkosh (19-21-1), seeded fourth in the four-team league tournament, slipped past third-seeded UW-Stevens Point (21-21), 8-7, in Saturday's first elimination contest. Second-seeded UW-Whitewater then ousted the Titans, 3-2, in the final game of the day behind Bachar's gem.
UW-Whitewater, ranked 15th in the NCAA Division III by D3baseball.com, was forced into the elimination round after falling, 5-2, to top-seeded and fourth-ranked UW-La Crosse on Saturday.
UW-La Crosse (33-8) and UW-Whitewater (29-13) will play for the tournament championship on Sunday (May 15). The league tournament winner earns the WIAC's automatic berth to the 56-team NCAA Division III Championship that begins next week.
In the first game of the day, UW-Oshkosh led the entire way after scoring a pair of the runs in the top of the first inning but had to stave off a ninth-inning rally by UW-Stevens Point.
UW-Oshkosh's Tyler Kozlowski went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and five runs batted in, while Johnny Eagan scored three runs and stole three bases. Kozlowski's five RBIs and Eagan's run and stolen base totals each matched their career highs.
Trent Whitcomb laced a run-scoring single to give the Titans an 8-5 cushion in the top of the ninth inning. UW-Stevens Point answered with two runs in the home half of the frame, but the Pointers stranded the potential tying and winning runs in scoring position.
Clint Rose led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single and pinch hitter Tyler Thomka drew a walk against Titans relief pitcher Lucas Gregory, who exited in favor of Matt Sabel.
Sabel walked Ben Diedrick to load the bases with one out, and Cody Hanke followed with an RBI single. Sabel struck out Turner Doornink before a passed ball allowed the Pointers to pull within 8-7 and advance runners to second and third base with two outs.
Sabel then recorded his fourth save of the season by getting Ben Gerber hit a groundball to Titans first baseman Andy Brahier, who stepped on first base to end the contest.
Titans starting pitcher Colan Treml (4-5) earned the victory after yielding five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 6.2 innings. He recorded five strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Kozlowski delivered a two-run single in the first inning, and the Titans added two more runs in the third frame as Eagan drew a leadoff walk, stole second and third base, and came in to score on a double by Kozlowski. Logan Reckert plated Kozlowski with a one-out single off of UW-Stevens Point starting pitcher Mark Kowalke.
Treml pitched around a pair of doubles by Ray Greco through the first four innings, but the Pointers broke up the shutout with a three-run fifth frame that was highlighted by an RBI single by Ryan Stanicek and a two-run single by Diedrick.
The Titans extended their lead to 7-3 with three runs on three hits in the seventh inning. Eagan singled and Robbie Kleman was hit by a pitch to spark the rally against Pointers reliever Alex Thompson. After a double-steal by Eagan and Kleman, Kozlowski hit a two-run double down the left field line and later came in to score on a wild pitch.
Treml retired the first two UW-Stevens Point batters in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Greco tripled for his third extra-base hit of the game and Diedrick singled to cut the Pointer deficit to 7-4 and end Treml's outing. Hanke greeted Gregory with an RBI double before Doornink struck out to end the inning.
Whitcomb added three hits for the Titans while Greco had three for the Pointers, who also received two hits each from Diedrick, Hanke and Rose.
Kowalke (3-3) suffered the loss for the Pointers, surrendering four runs on four hits and one walk in three innings pitched.
In the final game of the day, Bachar outdueled UW-Oshkosh's Peter Jewell as both pitchers tossed complete games.
The Titans took a 2-1 lead on a two-out, two-run single by Eagan in the third inning, but the Warhawks scored single runs in the fifth and sixth frames to secure the victory.
Bachar (6-5) scattered nine hits – all singles – and did not walk a batter en route to his first complete game of the season.
Jewell (2-4) was charged with the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits in his second complete game of the year. He struck out seven and walked four.
UW-Whitewater, which entered the league tournament ranked fifth in the country with a 2.80 earned run average, took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. Daytona Bryden led off with a single, advanced to third base on an infield error with one out, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Steve Chamberlain.
Bachar retired six straight Titan batters until Dylan Ott singled with two outs in the third inning. Jack Paulson followed with a single to move Ott to third base. Following a steal of second base by Paulson, Eagan drilled a single that plated Ott and Paulson.
Jewell faced the minimum number of batters in the second through fourth innings, but UW-Whitewater rallied to tie the game in the fifth frame. A single by Austin Jones and consecutive one-out walks by Justin Wegner and Bryden load the bases ahead of Kucczynski, who lifted a sacrifice fly to score Jones.
Kleman singled with one out in the sixth inning and advanced to second base on a groundout. Reckert then hit a soft single to Jones, the Warhawks right fielder, who gunned down Kleman at the plate for the final out of the frame.
Chamberlain led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a single. Dane Burman's sacrifice bunt moved Chamberlain to second base and a groundout advanced him to third base before Jones knocked in the eventual game-winning run with a double.
Bachar set down seven straight UW-Oshkosh batters, including striking out the side in the seventh inning, until Kozlowski rapped a base hit with one out in the ninth inning. However, Bachar induced a fly out and a groundout to end the game.
Eagan and Reckert had two hits apiece for the Titans, and Bryden and Jones both had two for the Warhawks.
UW-Whitewater left eight runners on base while UW-Oshkosh stranded just four, all at first base.