Titans Swap Low-Scoring Wins With Pointers
UW-Oshkosh's Eric Modaff and Hunter Staniske both had three hits on the day as the Titans and UW-Stevens Point exchanged a pair of low-scoring nonconference victories Saturday (May 8) at Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh (19-14) won the opener, 4-2, before UW-Stevens Point claimed a 3-1 decision in the second contest. The Titans and Pointers, tied for the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference lead with 44 home runs on the year, had their lowest scoring doubleheader since the teams also combined for 10 total runs during a UW-Oshkosh sweep April 29, 2006.
UW-Stevens Point (26-9) won three of four WIAC games against UW-Oshkosh on Tuesday and Friday (May 4th and 7th) to begin the six-game season series.
In Saturday's first game, UW-Stevens Point opened the scoring with a run in the top of the third inning, but UW-Oshkosh responded with three runs of its own during the home half of the frame and maintained the lead the rest of the way.
The Titans loaded the bases with one out during the decisive third inning as Zach Taylor walked, Bayne Johnson was hit by a pitch and Modaff singled in consecutive plate appearances. Ethan Schreier followed with a squeeze bunt to plate Taylor with the tying run, and Staniske delivered a double down the right field line that scored both Johnson and Modaff for a 3-0 lead.
The Pointers cut their deficit to 3-2 during the sixth inning on a Bradley Comer single and a Lucas Luedtke double to open the frame. However, UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Will Michalski induced a lineout that turned into a double play and retired the next batter on a flyout to preserve the one-run advantage.
Michalski went on to set down the Pointers in order during the seventh frame en route to picking up the win and improving his record to 4-2 on the year. Michalski scattered nine hits and a pair of walks while striking out four across seven innings.
Titans relief pitcher Trevor Niedzwiecki worked around a leadoff triple in the top of the eighth inning by notching a strikeout and, with runners at the corners and one out following an intentional walk, getting a flyout in foul territory down the right field line and a lineout to thwart the threat.
UW-Oshkosh then tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning as Staniske led off with a single, stole second base, went to third on an error and scored on Matt Scherrman's double. Scherrman, who hit his team-high 14th double, reached base three times via a single and hit-by-pitch.
UW-Stevens Point began the ninth inning with a single and a walk, but Niedzwiecki once again stymied the Pointers, getting a flyout sandwiched around a pair of strikeouts to preserve the victory and earn his team-leading fifth save this season. Niedzwiecki tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Modaff went 3-for-3, scored a run and collected his team-best 21st stolen base of the year for the Titans while Staniske was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a pair of runs batted in. Staniske, who added a hit in the nightcap, still leads the WIAC with a .465 batting average and 50 RBIs.
Payton Nelson had three of the Pointers' 11 hits, including a double and a triple.
UW-Stevens Point pitcher Nick Paulsen (2-1), making his first career start, suffered the loss after allowing three runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts across seven innings.
In the nightcap Scherrman, the Titans starting pitcher, and counterpart Nathan Krommenakker breezed through the opposing lineups until UW-Oshkosh scored a run in the top of the fifth inning. Krommenakker, who was also making his collegiate starting debut, was perfect through 3.2 innings before yielding an infield single to Staniske. Scherrman carried a no-hitter through five frames.
Scherrman walked and Connor Giusti singled off Krommenakker to open the UW-Oshkosh fifth inning. The Titan duo pulled off a double-steal to put a pair of runners in scoring position and Jake Andersen drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Krommenakker issued another walk to Chase Marsh to plate Scherrman with the game's first run, but Krommenakker got an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.
After Scherrman pitched around a one-out walk in the fifth inning, UW-Stevens Point got its first of four hits on a Jacob Lillge infield single to lead off the sixth frame. After a pair of flyouts and a walk, Comer produced the biggest hit of the game with a double that split the right-center field gap to score the decisive runs.
UW-Oshkosh went on to strand a runner at third base in the sixth inning, leave the bases loaded during the seventh frame and strand the tying run at second base in the eighth.
Krommenmakker (1-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts in three innings. Pointers relief pitchers Jacob Meinholz and Austin Syvertson combined to hold the Titans scoreless over the final four frames. Syvertson, who walked two and struck out two, earned his second save of the season after pitching 2.2 hitless innings.
Both teams finished with just four hits, including two from UW-Oshkosh's Giusti.
Scherrman was charged with the loss despite surrendering three singles, a double and three walks while striking out six in nine innings. Scherrman's complete game was the first by a Titan this season.
UW-Oshkosh returns to conference play with a doubleheader at UW-La Crosse on Wednesday (May 12).
Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Athletics