Titans Suffer Setbacks To Nationally Ranked Warhawks
Reigning Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference co-champion and nationally ranked UW-Whitewater overcame its lone deficit of the day with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning of the nightcap on the way to sweeping a doubleheader against the UW-Oshkosh baseball team Sunday (April 3) in Whitewater.
UW-Whitewater (11-4, 3-1 WIAC), ranked 10th in the NCAA Division III by D3baseball.com, defeated the Titans by scores of 3-0 and 6-3 to extend its winning streak to nine in the series with UW-Oshkosh (6-8, 1-3 WIAC).
The Warhawks cruised to victory during the opener after scoring twice in the first inning and holding the Titans to three hits en route to recording their WIAC-leading fourth shutout of the season. UW-Oshkosh claimed a 3-2 advantage in the second contest with a three-run seventh inning, but UW-Whitewater responded with four runs of its own, including the final two unearned, during the home half of the eighth to pull out the win.
UW-Whitewater outhit UW-Oshkosh, 16-8, and yielded just one earned run on the day while totaling 24 strikeouts after entering Sunday ranked seventh in the country with a 3.09 earned run average and 12th in shutouts. UW-Oshkosh pitchers, who struck out 11 batters, headed into Sunday seventh nationally with a 1.19 ratio of walks and hits per inning pitched, ninth with a 3.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 11th at 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
In Sunday's opener UW-Whitewater pitchers Westin Muir and Eli Frank combined to limit UW-Oshkosh to three singles and four walks while striking out 14 batters.
The Warhawks scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning as Jacob DeMeyer plated one with a single and Nick Paget drove in another on a groundout. UW-Whitewater tacked on an insurance run during the fifth inning on Sam Vomhof's single.
Muir walked Eric Modaff to open the game and issued a pair of walks in the second inning but did not allow a hit until Nicholas Shiu and Mason Schultz had back-to-back singles with one out during the top of the seventh frame. With the tying run at the plate, Muir struck out the final two batters he faced to escape the jam and preserve the shutout.
Muir (3-1) walked four and struck out 10 in seven innings to earn the win. Frank then held the Titans to one hit with four strikeouts over the final two innings to pick up the save.
Vomhof went 3-for-4 to lead the Warhawks.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Harry Orth (3-2) suffered the loss despite allowing just six hits – all singles – and one walk with six strikeouts across seven innings.
During the nightcap UW-Oshkosh's Cameron Mulvihill and UW-Whitewater's Kade Lancour were locked in a scoreless pitcher's duel until the Warhawks scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning.
UW-Oshkosh pulled within 3-1 on a Jake Surane bunt single with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh frame. With the bases still full of Titans and two outs, Warhawks shortstop Darryl Jackson threw high to first base on a grounder off the bat of Jake Andersen, allowing Shiu and Zach Taylor to cross the plate with the tying and go-ahead runs.
Mulvihill retired the Warhawks in order during the home half of the seventh inning but exited after surrendering consecutive doubles to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Paget doubled home Vomhof to tie the score at 3 to end Mulvihill's outing.
UW-Oshkosh relief pitcher LJ Waco walked the first batter he faced with Paget representing the go-ahead run at second base. Waco then induced a lineout before a grounder up the middle was mishandled by Scherrman at shortstop to allow Paget to score for a 4-3 Warhawks lead.
UW-Whitewater tacked on two more runs in the eighth inning on a two-out, pinch-hit single from David Rubin.
Paget was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two runs batted in for UW-Whitewater.
Scherrman walked, scored and accounted for two of UW-Oshkosh's five hits. Scherrman's two-out double in the top of the fourth inning broke up Lancour's no-hit bid.
Lancour did not factor in the decision after ceding three runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings.
Cade Berendt (3-0) earned the win in relief for the Warhawks, pitching a scoreless eighth inning despite giving up a pair of hits. Vomhof was credited with his second save of the year after tossing the ninth frame in scoreless fashion for UW-Whitewater.
Mulvihill (0-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts in seven-plus innings.
Sunday's games, originally scheduled for Saturday (April 2), were delayed by 90 minutes in order to remove overnight snow from the field.
UW-Oshkosh plays another doubleheader at UW-Whitewater on Monday (April 4).
Photo by Jennifer Zuberbier