Titans Complete Sweep of Fightin’ Engineers
TERRE HAUTE, Ind.- With a 16-5 win over the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Monday afternoon, the UW-Oshkosh baseball team (9-2) completed the three-game sweep over the Fightin' Engineers.
Connor Brinkman started the game for Oshkosh and Zacheus Carr started for Rose-Hulman.
The Titans went down in three batters in the top of the first and Rose-Hulman scored first in the bottom half with a fielder's choice off Brinkman.
Oshkosh answered in the following inning with a grand slam from Jake Andersen to take the only lead they needed for the rest of the game. Chase Marsh singled after the home run but was stranded when two fly outs ended the inning.
Connor Giusti sent two runners home in the third with a double that also moved Mason Kirchberg to third. Kirchberg scored when Andersen grounded out to short to make the score 7-1. Rose-Hulman scored in the bottom of the third, forcing Brinkman to give up his second home run (two runs scored) of the season.
Carr was relieved by Evan Chung for the top of the fourth and Chung forced three outs. Brinkman stranded a runner in the bottom half.
Andy Krajecki hit his second home run of the day with a solo homer to pull the score to 7-4.
The Titans scored six runs in the sixth. Anderson was hit by a pitch to start the inning and advanced to second on a balk to line up Mash to send him home on a single. Mason Schultz was also walked, and the runners advanced to second and third on another balk with Jake Surane coming up to the plate. He singled and advanced to second on the throw, scoring both runners, making the score 10-4. Warren Goik came in to replace Chung after Surane's at bat. Surane stole third on Goik and Matt Scherrman was walked. Zach Taylor sent Surane home on a fielder's choice to second base. With runners on second and third, Connor Giusti reached first base on an error and both runs scored to make the score 13-4. Brinkman finished his day with a force out and two strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth. He pitched 6.0 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks, while striking out six of the 29 batters he faced.
Alec Lewandowski made the final pitching change of the day for the Fightin' Engineers in the seventh inning, allowing one run off a Scherrman single. Scherrman moved to the mound for the bottom half of the seventh and allowed the Engineers' third home run of the day, making the score 14-5 and staving off a run rule ending.
Neither team scored in the eighth and Oshkosh left two on base.
The Titans tacked two more runs on for good measure in the top of the ninth with an RBI sacrifice fly and a run scored off a wild pitch. Scherrman forced Rose-Hulman out in three batters, ending the game with a 16-5 score.
Brinkman earned the win and Carr was assigned the loss with 3.0 innings pitched.
Looking Forward
The Titans will head to Milwaukee on Tuesday to face the Milwaukee School of Engineering (5-2) at 6 p.m. at MSOE Raiders Stadium.