Seven-Run Fourth Inning Secures Titans' Win Over Cardinals

Colan Treml pitched a complete game, the Titan offense collected 17 hits and the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh baseball team cruised to an 11-1 victory over North Central College (Ill.) in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Friday (May 18) in Duluth, Minn.

UW-Oshkosh (33-8), ranked seventh in the country by D3baseball.com, advances to play in the Duluth Regional winner's bracket at 11 a.m. Saturday (May 19) against eighth-ranked Concordia University Chicago (Ill.). The winner between UW-Oshkosh and Concordia University Chicago (35-12) reaches Sunday's (May 20) regional championship round.

Treml held one of the nation's highest scoring teams to more than eight runs below its season average on the way to improving his season record to 10-0. North Central College, which entered ranked ninth nationally with 9.2 runs per game, was held scoreless until the seventh inning.

The Titans staked Treml to a 10-0 lead after scoring seven runs on seven hits during the fourth inning. Treml limited the high-scoring Cardinals to just three hits through five innings en route to notching his fifth complete game of the season. He allowed nine hits while walking two and striking out four.

Andy Brahier, Taylor Grimm and Jack Paulson each tallied three hits for the Titans, whose top six in the batting order went a combined 15-for-29 with five extra-base hits, nine runs scored and seven runs batted in.

UW-Oshkosh's Alex Koch, Zack Radde and Logan Reckert all added a pair of hits as the Titans improved to 4-0 against North Central College, which reached the World Series in Appleton last season.

Paulson doubled twice and recorded his team-leading 18th stolen base while Grimm had his team-best 18th double and his first career triple. Sean Cummins connected for a double and Koch laced a triple as the Titans hit .425 and slugged .625 on the day.

The Titans now have 104 doubles this season, which ranks fourth in program history.

UW-Oshkosh jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Paulson drove the first pitch the Titans saw for a double and came around to score on Grimm's one-out double. Koch later plated Grimm with a two-out triple.

The Titans tacked on one run in the second frame despite having the bases empty with two outs as Hunter Staniske, Paulson and Radde delivered consecutive singles.

UW-Oshkosh's seven-run, seven-hit outburst in the fourth inning featured a two-run double by Cummins, RBI singles from Radde and Reckert, a successful squeeze bunt by Ott, a run-scoring triple from Grimm and a run on a wild pitch.

Treml retired 14 of the first 18 Cardinal batters before surrendering a pair of hits in the sixth inning, including a double by Jeremy Quade for North Central College's lone extra-base hit of the contest.

North Central College then denied Treml's UW-Oshkosh record-tying fifth career shutout with a run on three hits during the seventh frame. The Cardinals stranded the bases loaded in the seventh, and Treml went on to retire seven of the final nine North Central College batters of the game.

Quade and Colin Weilbacher both had two of the Cardinals' nine hits. North Central College's Michael Mateja and Mike Wisz, the Co-Players of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, combined for one hit and one walk in eight plate appearances against Treml.

North Central College starting pitcher Austin Polezoes (3-1) suffered his first loss of the year after yielding seven runs on 12 hits in 3.1 innings.

In Friday's other games at the Duluth Regional, University of Dubuque (Iowa) eliminated Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.), 8-3, and Concordia University Chicago ousted Bethel University (Minn.) from the national tournament by a 10-9 score.

The loser of UW-Oshkosh and Concordia University Chicago will play an elimination contest at 7 p.m. Saturday.

NCAA Division III Baseball Championship • Duluth Regional Website

NCAA Division III Baseball Championship • UW-Oshkosh Host Website

UW-Oshkosh Postgame Press Conference [head coach Kevin Tomasiewicz & junior pitcher Colan Treml]: