28 Runs on Saturday Give Titans Four-Game Sweep of Eau Claire
OSHKOSH, Wis.- With 28 runs across Saturday's (April 8) games, the UW-Oshkosh baseball team completed the four-game sweep of UW-Eau Claire. The Titans are now 15-5 with a 6-2 record in conference play. The Blugolds fell to 5-11 on the season and own a 0-6 WIAC record. Since the games were originally scheduled to be played in Eau Claire and moved to Oshkosh due to poor field conditions, the Titans batted first and the Blugolds batted second. On a five-game winning streak, Oshkosh sits atop the WIAC standing with UW-La Crosse, owning a 0.750 winning percentage in WIAC contests.
Game One Recap
LJ Waco (3-0) took the mound for Oshkosh in the first game, pitching against the Blugolds' Joe Clinton (1-2).
The score remained scoreless through three innings. In the fourth, the Titans scored three runs to take an early lead. Nicholas Shiu led off the inning with a solo home run to left field, Mason Kirchberg scored on a fielder's choice during Chase Marsh's at bat, and Jake Surane sent Marsh with a triple to right.
Oshkosh extended their lead in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs. Marsh led the way with his third home run of the season, driving in three with a shot to left field.
In the seventh inning, both teams scored. Oshkosh extended their lead to 10-0 in the top half when a hit by pitch sent Marsh home and Shiu scored Surane with a sacrifice fly. Andrew Murphy recorded the Blugolds' sole run of the game in the bottom half of the inning by hitting a leadoff home run off Jordan Skenandore.
The Titans extended their lead in the eighth, scoring six more runs on a single, a fielder's choice, a double, a sacrifice fly, and a throwing error. Eau Claire failed to score in the bottom of the eighth, ending the game with a run rule 16-1 win for Oshkosh.
Waco earned the win in 6.0 innings pitched. He allowed no runs on four hits while striking out five. In 41.1 innings of work this season, he owns an earned run average of 2.18 and striking out 11.32 batters per nine innings. Clinton was assigned the loss with 5.0 innings of work. He allowed 11 hits (two home runs) and one walk for eight runs (four earned) while striking out three.
Game Two Recap
Starting the second game for Oshkosh was Cameron Mulvihill (3-1) and for Eau Claire was Matt Moore (1-1).
Both teams scored a run in the first inning. Matt Scherrman sent Ethan Schreier home in the top of the inning with a single to left field and Andrew Murphy hit a single up the middle to score Austin Buck.
Over the second, third and fourth innings, the Titans tacked on six more runs. Marsh doubled to center in the second, scoring Jake Andersen, Zach Taylor hit a two-run home run in the third and Surane, Schreier and Scherrman each scored in the fourth. Walter Johnson added another run for Eau Claire with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Nate Witte.
In the top of the sixth, Surane scored on a throwing error and Schreier scored on a sacrifice fly by Scherrman to increase the Titans' lead to 9-2. Mulvihill allowed three runs in the bottom of the sixth but got through the inning with the lead intact.
Witte doubled off Trey Tennessen, pulling the score to 9-6 in the bottom of the seventh.
Oshkosh scored their final runs of the homestand in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch that sent Connor Giusti home, Surane's sacrifice fly to center that scored Andersen and a Schreier single that scored Marsh.
Oshkosh won the second game 12-6 for the four-game sweep. Mulvihill earned the win in 6.1 innings pitched, giving up five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. Logan King earned his first save of the year with 2.0 innings pitched, striking out three and allowing a hit. Moore was assigned the loss, giving up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits in 4.0 innings of work. He struck out three on the day.
On the weekend, Oshkosh scored 60 runs and held Eau Claire scoreless for 22 innings.
Looking Forward
The Titans return to action for a four-game series at UW-Stout next Saturday and Sunday (April 15-16). The first game is set to start at noon both days.