Titans Have Mixed Outcomes In WIAC Debut
Nicholas Shiu had three hits and a season-high three runs batted in during the first game of the day to lead the UW-Oshkosh baseball team to a doubleheader split in its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opening contests against UW-Eau Claire on Tuesday (March 29) at Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon.
UW-Oshkosh (6-6, 1-1 WIAC) defeated UW-Eau Claire, 6-3, before falling by a 3-0 score in Tuesday's second contest. Four Titans pitchers combined for 24 strikeouts and limited the Blugolds to 14 hits on the day after entering the league opener ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III at 7.7 hits allowed per nine innings and 17th with 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
UW-Eau Claire (6-6, 1-1 WIAC) had lost its previous five meetings with UW-Oshkosh since the Blugolds revived their baseball program last season after a 25-year hiatus. The Blugolds, who snapped a 13-game losing streak overall to the Titans dating back to the 1994 campaign, improved their record to 6-37 versus UW-Oshkosh in a series that began in 1967.
UW-Oshkosh's home and WIAC opener was moved to the full-turf surface in Ashwaubenon due to field conditions at its natural grass home venue Tiedemann Field. The Titans and Blugolds, who were originally scheduled to play doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday (March 26-27) at Tiedemann Field and also had a pair of Monday (March 28) games postponed, will conclude their four-game series April 19 in Oshkosh.
In the opener, UW-Oshkosh scored each of its first five runs with two outs to take a 5-0 lead after five innings. UW-Eau Claire pulled within 5-3 following a three-run sixth frame, but UW-Oshkosh's Eric Modaff launched a solo home run during the home half of the eighth inning to account for the game's final score.
Shiu hit a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, and the Titans maintained a lead the rest of the way. UW-Oshkosh tacked on two more runs in the first frame as Modaff doubled home Shiu and Mason Schultz plated Modaff with a single.
UW-Oshkosh later extended its advantge to 5-0 following a Shiu single that drove home Matt Scherrman in the fifth inning.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Harry Orth was working on a one-hit shutout until UW-Eau Claire scored each of its three runs in the sixth inning. Nate Witte broke up Orth's shutout bid with a run-scoring single ahead of an Otto Treichel home run that cut the Blugolds deficit to 5-3. After allowing a walk and a single to bring the go-ahead run to the plate with no outs in the sixth inning, Orth got a popup, flyout and strikeout in succession to preserve the UW-Oshkosh lead.
Modaff's solo homer to right field in the eighth frame was his first this season and sixth of his career.
Orth (3-1) earned the win, holding the Blugolds to three runs on just four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in seven innings. Orth went into the day ranked 11th in the country with 15.24 strikeouts per nine innings.
Cameron Mulvihill pitched the final two innings in scoreless fashion to pick up his second save of the year for UW-Oshkosh. Mulvihill gave up one hit and struck out three without issuing a walk.
Shiu went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs for the Titans while Modaff doubled, stole a base and homered. Schultz also doubled among his two hits.
Treichel and Phil Zynda both accounted for two of UW-Eau Claire's five hits.
UW-Eau Claire starting pitcher Xavier Estrada (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season, surrendering four runs on six hits in one inning.
During the second game of the day, UW-Eau Claire scored once in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings in support of starting pitcher Matt Moore, who tossed a five-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts.
Moore did not allow a hit until a Mason Kirchberg single with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Moore went on to strand runners in scoring position during the fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings during his complete game effort. UW-Oshkosh had runners at the corners and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but Moore notched a strikeout to thwart the threat and improve his season record to 1-2.
Andrew Murphy provided Moore all the run support he needed with a sacrifice fly to open the scoring in the sixth inning. Chase Yaeger added a run-scoring single during the seventh frame before Murphy lifted another sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to cap the scoring.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Connor Brinkman (2-1) was charged with the loss despite yielding two runs on eight hits and zero walks with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. LJ Waco gave up a run and struck out four batters without issuing a walk across the final two frames for the Titans.
UW-Eau Claire outhit the Titans, 9-5, during the nightcap as Witte had three hits and Yaeger two to pace the Blugolds. Witte added a pair of stolen bases and scored once.
Zach Taylor's leadoff double in the ninth inning for the Titans represented the lone extra-base hit of the contest. Shiu stole two bases while Modaff and Connor Giusti also had stolen bases for UW-Oshkosh.
UW-Oshkosh travels to UW-Whitewater for WIAC doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday (April 2-3). UW-Whitewater is ranked 10th in the nation by D3baseball.com.
Photo by Jennifer Zuberbier