Titans Hold On In Nightcap To Gain Split With Warhawks

Titans Hold On In Nightcap To Gain Split With Warhawks

Alex Koch, Dylan Ott and Zack Radde each hit home runs in the nightcap as the UW-Oshkosh baseball team gained a doubleheader split at UW-Whitewater on Sunday (April 7).

UW-Oshkosh (12-9, 5-3 WIAC) never trailed on the way to a 10-9 victory in the second contest after UW-Whitewater came back to win Sunday's first game, 6-4.

Koch's solo home run in the second contest gave UW-Oshkosh a 4-3 lead. Radde's three-run homer provided the Titans a 9-6 advantage in the fifth frame, and Ott followed with a solo home run that proved to be the game-winning run.

The home runs by Radde and Ott were the Titans' first hit back-to-back since Trent Whitcomb and Johnny Eagan accomplished the feat during a 13-3 win over UW-Stout on April 10, 2016, in Oshkosh.

UW-Oshkosh outhit UW-Whitewater, 23-21, on the day, including 15-11 in the second game. The Titans have collected at least 10 hits on nine occasions this season.

UW-Whitewater (10-6, 3-1 WIAC), which sports a conference-leading 3.42 earned run average on the year, had not given up more than eight runs in a game against an NCAA Division III opponent this season before Sunday. Despite the loss the Warhawks won the four-game series against the Titans after defeating UW-Oshkosh by scores of 5-4 and 12-1 in eight innings Saturday (April 6) in Whitewater.

Radde went a combined 5-for-9 at the plate Sunday with a triple, a home run, two walks, three runs scored and four runs batted in to pace the Titans.

UW-Oshkosh's Jonathan Selchow added a home run in Sunday's opener.

In the second game of the day, UW-Whitewater rallied to tie the score three times until Radde and Ott hit consecutive home runs in the span of three pitches in the top of the fifth inning.

The Warhawks brought the tying run to the plate in the home half of the ninth inning, but Titans relief pitcher Trevor Niedzwiecki got Nick Santoro to ground out to end the game.

UW-Oshkosh struck for three runs in the top of the first frame as Radde walked to lead off the game, went to third base on a double from Koch and scored on a squeeze bunt by Hunter Staniske. Koch scored on a passed ball before Jensen Hinton plated Staniske with a single for a 3-0 lead.

UW-Whitewater answered quickly, scoring three runs of its own in the home half of the first inning on a two-RBI single from Ben Wilkens and the tying run following a double-play grounder.

Koch's solo home run to left field – his second of the year – led off the third inning, which also featured an RBI single from Hinton that extended the Titan lead to 5-3.

The Warhawks once again responded, knotting the score at 5 on Connor Moroder's two-run single in the bottom of the third frame. The teams then exchanged single runs in the fourth inning as Hinton drove home Koch with a single for a short-lived 6-5 edge. UW-Whitewater's Mike Aiello plated the equalizing run in the home half of the fourth frame on a groundball that scored Noah Jensen.

UW-Oshkosh's decisive four-run fifth inning got started with a one-out double by Kade Bohlman. Matt McNabb then reached on an infield error ahead of Radde, who lifted an 0-2 pitch over the left field wall off of Warhawks relief pitcher Larkin Hanselmann. After fouling off the next Hanselmann pitch, Ott blasted his solo home run to left field for a 10-6 lead.

The home runs were Ott's second of the season and Radde's first.

UW-Whitewater cut its deficit to 10-7 in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly from Nick Schrader. The Warhawks' Cal Aldridge followed with a double and Aiello walked to bring the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs, but UW-Oshkosh relief pitcher Logan King induced a groundball off the bat of Wilkens to escape the jam.

After the Titans were retired in order in the top of the ninth inning, King issued a walk to Matt Korman to lead off the bottom of the frame and conclude the longest outing of the season for King.

Niedzwiecki set down the first two batters he faced with a strikeout and a groundout, but Jensen prolonged the inning with a triple that scored pinch-runner Jason Abatto. Jensen then scored on a balk to pull UW-Whitewater within 10-9, but Santoro grounded out to Ott at shortstop to end the contest.

King (1-0) earned his first career win, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout in 4.2 innings after entering with one out in the fourth frame. King's longest outing of the year before Sunday was 1.1 innings March 16.

Niedzwiecki picked up his first career save after yielding a run on one hit in the ninth inning.

Koch went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and a stolen base for the Titans, who also received two hits each from Hinton, Ott, Radde and Selchow.

Hanselmann (0-1) suffered the loss for the Warhawks, yielding five runs (four earned) on six hits in 2.1 innings. He walked two and struck out three.

Jensen finished a home run shy of the cycle for the Warhawks, going 4-for-4 with a double and a triple.

In the first game of the day, UW-Oshkosh took a 4-3 lead with two runs in the top of the seventh inning. However, Aldridge tied the score at 4 with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh frame, and the Warhawks took the lead for good with a pair of unearned runs in the home half of the eighth inning.

The fateful bottom of the eighth inning was sparked by a out-out single from Korman. Moroder then reached via catcher's interference, a throwing error by Ott at shortstop on a potential inning ending double play allowed the go-ahead run to score, and Schrader laced an RBI double with two outs to create the final score.

UW-Whitewater owned a 3-0 lead after three innings following run-scoring singles from Aiello and Alex Doud in the first frame and a solo home run by Aldridge in the third.

Selchow's third home run of the season cleared the left field wall to pull the Titans within 3-1, and Eric Modaff came around to score on an error to cut the UW-Oshkosh deficit to one run in the top of the fifth inning.

Radde tripled to score McNabb for the tying run in the seventh inning and later scored on a balk as UW-Oshkosh claimed its first lead of the day at 4-3.

UW-Oshkosh brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the top of the ninth inning following a walk by Radde, but two Warhawk pitchers combined to get the last two outs on popups.

Aldridge finished the game 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs for UW-Whitewater.

Radde accounted for three of the Titans' eight hits.

Keith Kutzler (1-1) was credited with the win in relief for UW-Whitewater despite allowing two runs on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in three innings pitched.

Hanselmann earned his first save after retiring the lone batter he faced to end the game.

Niedzwiecki suffered the loss in the opener, yielding three runs (one earned) on three hits in 2.2 innings of relief. He walked one and struck out a career-high four.

Neither starting pitcher – UW-Oshkosh's Will Michalski and UW-Whitewater's Westin Muir – factored in the decision as Michalski gave up three runs in five innings and Muir ceded two runs (one earned) across 5.2 innings.

UW-Oshkosh returns home to host a doubleheader against UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday (April 10) at Tiedemann Field.

Photo by Steve Frommell