Titans Take Another Doubleheader From Pioneers
Tyler Kozlowski collected six hits and nine runs batted in, and Jack Paulson reached base nine times and scored five runs to lead the UW-Oshkosh baseball team to a pair of victories over UW-Platteville on Sunday (April 23) at Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh (17-13, 8-4 WIAC) downed the Pioneers, 13-4, in the opener before securing an 11-1 win during the second contest that was halted after seven innings due to the 10-run rule. The Titans erupted for seven-run innings in both games.
The Titans also defeated UW-Platteville by scores of 8-0 and 7-1 on Saturday (April 22) in Oshkosh, completing the four-game series sweep by a combined score of 39-6. UW-Oshkosh has now won 17 of its last 19 meetings with the Pioneers.
UW-Oshkosh moves into second in the WIAC standings while UW-Platteville remains in sixth with eight league games left.
On Sunday, UW-Oshkosh outhit UW-Platteville, 27-11, as Kozlowski went a combined 6-for-9 at the plate with a pair of doubles and one triple. Kozlowski had four hits and four runs batted in during the first game before recording two hits and matching his career high with five RBIs in the second contest.
UW-Oshkosh's Jack Paulson concluded the day 5-for-6 with four walks, five runs scored and three RBIs while Alex Koch added a pair of hits in both contests, including his first home run of the season during the opener.
In addition to their 27 hits on the day, the Titans also walked 13 times, including three with the bases loaded.
In Sunday's first game, UW-Oshkosh held an 8-0 lead after tallying seven runs on five hits and five walks during the third inning.
The Titans opened the scoring in the second inning when Paulson drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk against UW-Platteville starting pitcher Tyler Vogel.
UW-Oshkosh then exploded for seven runs in the third inning as the Titans sent 12 batters to the plate. Johnny Eagan led off the frame with a double. Andy Brahier followed with a double, and Sam Schwenn and Taylor Grimm both walked to give UW-Oshkosh a 2-0 lead and conclude Vogel's outing.
Pioneers relief pitcher Caleb Kaufmann retired the first batter he faced, but Koch laced a two-run single and Paulson walked with the bases loaded two batters later. Kozlowski then plated a pair of runs on a single down the left-field line to chase Kaufmann from the game.
Eagan greeted new UW-Platteville pitcher Cal Krafcheck with a run-scoring hit for an 8-0 advantage before a double play ended the decisive frame.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Jesse Sustachek limited the Pioneers to just two hits across the first four innings until running into trouble in the fifth frame as Collin Mormann and Josh Moses both touched Sustachek for two-run hits that trimmed the UW-Platteville deficit to 8-4.
The Titans answered with three runs during the home half of the fifth inning to extend their lead to 11-4. Kozlowski delivered a run-scoring double with one out in the fifth frame before Grimm plated two with a two-out double.
UW-Oshkosh tacked on single runs in the sixth and eighth innings to provide the final score. Koch launched his second career homer to lead off the sixth inning, and Kozlowski hit an RBI single with two outs in the eighth frame.
Sustachek (5-2) picked up his team-leading fifth victory of the season after allowing four runs on seven hits in eight innings pitched. He struck out three and walked one.
Paulson, the Titan leadoff batter, registered two hits, three walks, three runs scored and two RBIs. Grimm and Koch drove in three runs apiece.
Vogel (3-2) suffered the loss for the Pioneers, yielding five runs on four hits and four walks in two-plus innings pitched.
UW-Oshkosh scored against each of the four pitchers deployed by UW-Platteville as Kaufmann ceded three runs in one-third of an inning, Krafcheck allowed four runs (two earned) in 4.2 innings work and Ben Zwitter surrendered one run in the eighth frame.
Moses had two of the Pioneers' seven hits and drove home a pair of runs.
In Sunday's nightcap, UW-Platteville took its first lead of the four-game weekend series with a run in the top of the first inning, but UW-Oshkosh responded quickly with two runs in both the first and second frames before concluding the scoring with a seven-run fourth inning.
UW-Platteville's Colin DeBoer hit a solo home run in the first inning against Titans starting pitcher Jon Maday. However, the Titans gave Maday all the run support he needed in the home half of the frame as Kozlowski tripled to plate Paulson, and Eagan gave UW-Oshkosh a 2-1 lead with a groundout that scored Kozlowski.
The Titans increased their lead to 4-1 in the second inning on an RBI bunt-single by Paulson and a sacrifice fly from Kozlowski.
UW-Oshkosh put the game away with a seven-run outburst in the fourth inning that included a three-run double by Kozlowski, an RBI single by Eagan, a run-scoring groundout from Schwenn and ended with Noah Polcyn's two-out, two-run single.
Kozlowski was 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and five RBIs while Paulson went 3-for-3 with one walk, three runs scored and two runs batted in.
Brahier, Koch and Polcyn each added two hits in four at-bats for the Titans.
Maday (2-0) allowed just one run in sixth innings pitched to pick up the win. He had one strikeout and issued one walk while holding UW-Platteville to four hits.
Pioneers starting pitcher Lucas Keller (2-2) was charged with the loss, surrendering 10 runs (nine earned) on nine hits and four walks in three innings pitched.
UW-Oshkosh remains at home to face Ripon College on Wednesday (April 26). The Titans defeated the Red Hawks, 14-2, on April 11 in Ripon.