Titans Bounce Back To Attain Split With Blue Devils
The UW-Oshkosh baseball team opened up a large early lead and held on to win the second game of the day en route to splitting a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at UW-Stout on Saturday (April 17).
UW-Oshkosh (8-10, 6-6 WIAC) built a 9-0 lead – all via unearned runs – during a 12-9 victory in the nightcap after UW-Stout came back to win the opener, 7-4, on the strength of a four-run eighth inning.
UW-Stout (10-8, 7-5 WIAC) remains third in the league standings, one game ahead of fourth-place UW-Oshkosh with 16 conference games to play.
UW-Oshkosh's Hunter Staniske finished the day 6-for-9 at the plate and extended his hitting streak to 21 games. Staniske, who doubled twice, scored two runs, drove in three and stole a base Saturday, currently owns the fifth longest hitting streak in program history.
The Titans outhit UW-Stout, 21-18, on the day as Connor Giusti added three hits for UW-Oshkosh while Griffith Lukes, Eric Modaff, Jarrett Scheelk and Matt Scherrman each had two.
In the second game of the day, five UW-Stout errors during the first four innings allowed UW-Oshkosh to score its nine unearned runs. Modaff, Scheelk, and Staniske all contributed run-scoring singles over the first two frames before Lukes' two-run double in the fourth inning provided the Titans a 9-0 advantage.
UW-Stout's Kasey Bass hit a three-run homer and Hunter Merrill followed with a solo shot to cut the Blue Devils' deficit to 9-4 in the home half of the fourth inning. Two more runs during the fifth frame and another in the sixth pulled UW-Stout within 9-7, but Giusti and Staniske delivered RBI singles in the top of the seventh inning for a 12-7 lead. Giusti's hit, which proved to be the game winner, plated Lukes from second base. Then with the bases loaded and two outs, Staniske tacked on two insurance runs with a hit to right field that brought home both Modaff and Zach Taylor.
Bass launched his second home run of the game – a two-run blast – to cut the Blue Devil deficit to 12-9 in the bottom of the seventh inning. However, Titans relief pitcher Trevor Niedzwiecki set down the final UW-Stout batters to preserve the win.
Niedzwiecki (2-2) earned the victory after coming on in relief of Scherrman, who yielded six runs (five earned) across the first 4.1 innings. Niedzwiecki then held the Blue Devils to three runs over the final 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven without issuing a walk.
Staniske was 4-for-5 with three RBIs for the Titans, who received two of their 12 hits from both Giusti and Modaff. Modaff was also hit by a pitch and scored three runs.
Bass finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and five runs batted in for UW-Stout.
UW-Stout starting pitcher Ethan Kjellberg (0-3) suffered the loss despite not allowing an earned run. He gave up seven runs on seven hits and one walk in 3.1 innings.
During the first contest, UW-Oshkosh reclaimed a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth inning on a Scherrman two-out single that scored Scheelk, but the Blue Devils answered with four runs on three hits during the home half of the frame to secure the comeback victory.
Bass was hit by a pitch to lead off the UW-Stout eighth inning. Merrill and Alex Jinkins then followed with back-to-back home runs that gave the Blue Devils the lead for good.
Merrill, who homered in both games Saturday, and Colin Hageman both drove in two runs for UW-Stout.
Blue Devils relief pitcher Alex Foss (1-0) picked up the win after allowing one run during his one inning of work in the eighth. Trevor Miller tossed a scoreless ninth frame to earn his second save of the year for UW-Stout.
Cameron Mulvihill (1-1) was charged with the loss for UW-Oshkosh, ceding three runs on four hits during the sixth and seventh innings.
Scherrman and Staniske both accounted for two of the Titans' nine hits. Scherrman drove in a pair of runs while Giusti and Sean Cummins added RBIs. Giusti hit his first collegiate home run in the third inning.
UW-Oshkosh returns home Friday (April 23) to start a six-game homestand against Finlandia University (Mich.) at Tiedemann Field.