Titans Sweep Blugolds To Open WIAC Play
OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh baseball team collected 19 runs on 24 hits to win both games of its WIAC opening series against UW-Eau Claire in Oshkosh on Friday (March 29).
The Titans (8-6, 2-0 WIAC) outscored the Blugolds (5-9, 0-2 WIAC) 7-4 in the first game and Jake Surane (Sr. • Lincolnshire, Ill.) hit a three-run home run to walk off a 12-2 seven-inning victory in the second.
Connor Brinkman (Jr. • New London) started on the mound in game one and pitched 7.1 innings to increase his season record to 3-0. He struck out six batters while allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks.
Nick Shiu (Jr. • Gurnee, Ill.) singled through the left side in the bottom of the first inning for his first RBI of the day, sending Jack McNamara (So. • La Grange, Ill.) across the plate.
A Logan Schill (Fr. • Pewaukee) single down the right field line and a McNamara groundout to second added two more runs, making the score 3-0 in the second inning.
Oshkosh's next three runs came in the fourth inning. Zach Taylor (Sr. • Long Grove, Ill.) registered two RBIs to score both McNamara and Surane and Mason Kirchberg (Jr. • DeForest) sent Taylor home on a single through the left side.
Eau Claire scored its first runs in the top of the seventh with an RBI double and single.
Shiu made the score 7-2 in the bottom half of the inning when he singled through the left side to plate Kirchberg.
The Blugolds scored their third and fourth runs on a two-run home run in the top of the eighth. Brinkman exited the game after the runs scored and Brett Gaynor (Fr. • Long Grove, Ill.) came in as relief. He threw the last 1.2 innings and allowed no runs on just three hits for his first career save.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Connor Walters (So. • Libertyville, Ill.) increased his season record to 1-2 with a 7-inning complete game performance. He struck out five while allowing two runs on seven hits.
Walter Johnson put the Blugolds up a run early with a solo home run in the top of the first. Oshkosh tied the game back up in the bottom of the inning, doubling to left field and scoring Surane.
Eau Claire took its second and final lead in the second inning on an RBI triple to center which McNamara responded to with a sacrifice fly to left.
Kirchberg hit his second home run of the season and Braydon Skenandore (So. • De Pere) registered a sacrifice fly in the third inning to increase the Titans' edge to 4-2.
The Titans got busy in the fourth inning, adding five runs to their lead on a wild pitch, an RBI double, an RBI single and two more sacrifice flies.
After Walters put the Blugolds down in order in the top of the seventh, Brenden Max (So. • Libertyville, Ill.) walked and advanced to second on a Skenandore groundout before Jack McKellips (So. • Oshkosh) was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Surane knocked a pitch over the left field wall to walk off Eau Claire and secure the conference opener sweep.
Oshkosh and Eau Claire will return to Tiedemann Field on Saturday (March 30) for another doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon.