Titans Tame Lions With Seven-Inning Victories
The UW-Oshkosh baseball team hit four home runs en route to sweeping a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Finlandia University (Mich.) on Friday (April 15) at Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh (12-10, 7-5 WIAC) defeated Finlandia University by scores of 15-2 in the opener and 16-5 during the nightcap. Both contests ended in the seventh inning by virtue of the 10-run rule.
The Titans have now won each of their 13 meetings with Finlandia University (3-21, 0-14 WIAC), which has lost 65 of its 66 league games since joining the conference as an affiliate member in 2019. The Lions had its WIAC losing streak extended to 54 games.
UW-Oshkosh produced 27 hits Friday, including home runs from Jake Andersen, Connor Giusti, Matt Scherrman and Jake Surane. The home runs were Scherrman's team-leading fifth of the season, Andersen's second and the firsts for Giusti and Surane.
Surane went a combined 6-for-7 at the plate with a pair of doubles, seven runs scored and four runs batted in. Scherrman added four total hits, hitting for the cycle on the day and contributing six RBIs.
In the first game of the day, UW-Oshkosh scored three times in the bottom of the first inning and cruised to victory behind a 17-hit attack that featured five doubles, one triple and three home runs.
Scherrman's two-run homer during the home half of the first inning turned out to be the game-winning hit as UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Harry Orth and reliever Matt Sorrells held the Lions to eight hits while striking out 10 batters.
Scherrman finished a single shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple and home run.
Surane was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a career-high four RBIs in the leadoff spot for the Titans, who also received three hits from Jackson Broom and two by Giusti.
After Finlandia University cut its deficit to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the top of third inning, UW-Oshkosh answered with a run during the bottom of the third frame, two more in the fourth, six in the fifth and three in the sixth. Surane's inside-the-park two-run homer in the fourth inning upped UW-Oshkosh's lead to 6-2 and his two-run double gave the Titans a 9-2 advantage in the fifth.
Giusti later blasted a three-run homer to cap the scoring in the sixth inning.
UW-Oshkosh also stole five bases during the opener, including two steals apiece from Chase Marsh and Joey Petryniec.
Orth (5-2) earned the win, allowing just two runs on seven hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in six innings. Orth went into the day pacing the WIAC with 58 strikeouts and 5.56 hits allowed per nine innings.
Sorrells then worked a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout to preserve the UW-Oshkosh victory.
Finlandia University starting pitcher Tyler Hale (0-3) suffered the loss, yielding nine runs (eight earned) on 12 hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
During the second contest, UW-Oshkosh overcame its lone deficit of the day with a three-run first inning before putting the game away with eight runs during the second frame for an 11-1 advantage.
Scherrman gave the Titans the lead for good with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning. Scherrman came around to score on a wild pitch for a 3-1 UW-Oshkosh lead.
Andersen put an exclamation point on UW-Oshkosh's eight-run outburst during the second inning with a grand slam to left field.
Surane once again led the way from atop the Titans order, going 3-for-3 with a double, two walks, three stolen bases and four runs scored.
Scherrman and Zach Taylor both drove in three runs while Mason Kirchberg chipped in two RBIs as UW-Oshkosh walked 11 times and collected 10 hits. Nicholas Shiu drew three bases on balls for the Titans. Marsh swiped a pair of bases, and Shiu and Kirchberg accounted for one of UW-Oshkosh's seven stolen bases.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Connor Brinkman (4-2) picked up the win after surrendering four runs (two earned) on seven hits. Brinkman, who reached double-digit strikeouts for the third time this year, notched 10 punchouts without issuing a walk.
Jacob Mead was charged with the loss for the Lions, ceding 10 runs (nine earned) on three hits and 10 walks across the first 1.1 innings. Mead went 3-for-4 at the plate with a solo home run that created the final score in the top of the seventh inning.
The Titans headed into the day leading the conference in fielding percentage, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and ratio of walks and hits per inning pitched.
UW-Oshkosh and Finlandia University complete their four-game regular season series with another doubleheader Saturday (April 16) at Tiedemann Field.
Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Athletics