Titans Record Another Sweep Of Lions
UW-Oshkosh collected 28 hits, including 11 for extra bases, on the way to sweeping Finlandia University (Mich.) in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday (April 24) at Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh (12-10, 10-6 WIAC) remained alone in third in the league standings after downing Finlandia University by scores of 10-6 in the first game and 15-9 during the nightcap. The Titans, who have won each of their 10 meetings with the Lions since 2019, also won a pair of conference games over Finlandia University Friday (April 23) in Oshkosh and a nonconference doubleheader between the teams to open the season March 20 in Ashwaubenon.
All nine starters in the Titan lineup produced at least one hit during Saturday's opener while Alex Larson carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning on the mound. UW-Oshkosh then took control of the nightcap in the fourth inning, scoring seven runs and sending 12 batters to the plate to claim a 7-2 lead.
Kameron Dransfeldt, Connor Giusti, Jarrett Scheelk and Hunter Staniske all hit home runs for the Titans on Saturday while Matt Scherrman doubled twice, and Giusti, Scheelk, Eric Modaff and Ethan Schreier each added a two-bagger. The home runs were Scheelk's team-leading eighth of the year, Staniske's fifth, Giusti's second and Dransfeldt's first career. Scheelk finished the day with six runs batted in extend his team-high total to 34 this season.
Staniske had a first-inning single during the opener and went 4-for-4 during the second contest to boost his team-best batting average to .512 on the year and extend his hitting streak to 25 games. Staniske's hitting streak is the third longest by a Titan and ranks ninth in conference history. Jeff Zappa owns the program record with a 29-game hitting streak in 1996, and former Titan Brad Demmin had a hit in 27 consecutive games spanning the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
In Saturday's opener UW-Oshkosh was cruising with a 6-0 lead and Larson holding the Lions hitless through four frames until Finlandia University scored four runs after two outs in the top of the fifth inning. The Titans built their lead back to 10-4 following a three-run home half of the fifth inning and a single run during the seventh frame.
UW-Oshkosh never trailed after Scheelk delivered a two-run double to plate Staniske and Schreier in the bottom of the first inning. Scherrman later added a run-scoring double of his own to score Scheelk for a 3-0 Titan advantage after one inning.
Schreier had an RBI single in the second inning and a run-scoring groundout during the fourth frame before a Staniske sacrifice fly provided UW-Oshkosh a 6-0 cushion after four innings.
Larson, making his second start of the year, faced one batter over the minimum and struck out four batters through the first four frames until allowing a one-out single in the fifth inning. However, six consecutive Lions reached base with two outs as part of their four-run top of the fifth frame.
With UW-Oshkosh clinging to a 6-4 lead, Dransfeldt launched a three-run homer to left field during the home half of the fifth frame, and Zach Taylor drove in Sean Cummins with a seventh-inning single to increase to Titan advantage to 10-4.
Finlandia University (0-23, 0-17 WIAC) cut its deficit to 10-6 and had the tying run in the on-deck circle in the top of the ninth inning, but Titans relief pitcher Trevor Niedzwiecki entered the game and retired the only two batters he faced to pick up his third save of the season.
Larson (1-1) earned his first victory since the 2018 campaign, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in six innings pitched.
Modaff, Cummins, Scherrman and Schreier all accounted for two of the Titans' 13 hits.
John Brundage, Eastyn Culp and Jacob Mead each had two of the Lions' 11 hits. Nik Geiser homered in the eighth inning for Finlandia University.
Finlandia University starting pitcher Brandon Hale (0-4) was charged with the loss after surrendering 10 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits and one walk in 6.1 innings.
During the second game of the day, Finlandia University claimed a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning before the Titans responded with their seven-run outburst in the home half of the frame.
UW-Oshkosh's fourth-inning onslaught began with Staniske's solo home run to left field and included RBI doubles from Scherrman and Giusti, a run-scoring single by Modaff, a walk to Staniske with the bases loaded and Scheelk's two-run single for a 7-2 advantage.
Staniske also added RBI singles in both the sixth and seventh innings. Scheelk blasted a two-run homer to left field during the sixth frame, and Giusti hit a two-run homer of his own to left in the eighth inning to extend the UW-Oshkosh cushion to 15-7.
The first four Titan batters combined to go 11-for-18 with eight runs scored and 11 runs batted in during the nightcap as Modaff was 3-for-6 with two runs and two RBIs atop the order, Schreier went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI while batting second, Staniske had four RBIs and scored twice during his four-hit performance in the third spot, and cleanup hitter Scheelk recorded two hits, scored twice and drove in four runs.
Giusti finished the second game with a double, home run, three runs scored and three RBIs.
Scherrman was the beneficiary of the Titans' offensive efforts, securing the win to improve his record to 1-1 on the year. Scherrman gave up seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits over the first seven innings. He struck out a career-high 11 without issuing a walk.
Culp (0-3), the Lions starting pitcher, suffered the loss after ceding six runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
Finlandia University had 14 hits in the second game, three each from Brundage, Culp, Jordan D'Angelo and Joe Galindo. Galindo homered twice, scored four times and drove in four runs.
UW-Oshkosh and Finlandia University wrap up their five-game weekend series with a single nonconference contest Sunday (April 25) at Tiedemann Field.