Titans Finish Series Sweep Of Blugolds
OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh baseball team closed out the second day of its home series against UW-Eau Claire by sweeping both games on Saturday (March 30), leaving the Titans 4-0 in WIAC play.
The Titans (10-6, 4-0 WIAC) beat the Blugolds (5-11, 0-4) 12-2 in the first game and 12-11 in the second at Tiedemann Field.
LJ Waco (Sr. • Cary, Ill.) started on the mound in game one and pitching all 8.0 innings for the Titans. He collected nine strikeouts and allowed only two runs on four hits. He is now 3-0 on the season.
In the bottom of the first inning, Jack McNamara (Jr.• La Grange, Ill.) hit a ground ball to shortstop, sending Jake Surane (Sr. • Lincolnshire, Ill.) home for the first run of the day.
Nick Shiu (Jr. • Gurnee, Ill.) started the bottom of the second inning with a run on a passed ball followed by Brenden Max (So. • Libertyville, Ill.) scoring run off a balk. The scoring wrapped up in the inning on a Surane RBI groundout that sent Braydon Skenandore (So. • De Pere) across the plate.
Skenandore added to the Titans' lead in the fourth with an RBI groundout that scored Carter Stebane (Jr. • Brillion) for a score of 5-0.
Zach Taylor (Sr. • Long Grove, Ill.) hit his first home run of the season in the fifth inning with Surane on base which extended Oshkosh's lead to seven runs.
The sixth inning was scoreless while the Blugolds opened the seventh inning with a two-run home run for a score of 7-2.
Oshkosh's final five runs came in a busy eighth inning. Max singled to left field to score Shiu and Skenandore laid down a bunt, sending Stebane home. Max then scored in the following at bat as Danny Connelly (Fr. • Mundelein, Ill.) doubled to left center and Surane grounded out to third base registering an RBI, as Skenandore scored. Connelly recorded the game winning run on a wild pitch to close out the first game.
Aidan Trusky (So. • Antioch, Ill.) started on the mound in the second game for the Titans, pitching 2.0 innings with six runs (five earned) on six hits and a strikeout.
Blugolds opened the scoring with five runs in the second inning and the Titans came back in the bottom of the second with a Skenandore RBI groundout, a Jack McKellips (So. • Oshkosh) triple to center field, a Surane sacrifice fly and a Mason Kirchberg (Jr. • DeForest) reached first base on a fielding error that scored McNamara.
Josh Jansen (So. • DeForest) relieved Trusky in the third inning after the starter allowed the first two Eau Claire batters to reach base. He threw a total of 5.0 innings, striking out four while allowing four runs on four hits and five walks.
Both teams scored in the third inning as the Blugolds walked a run across the plate and Stebane knocked his first home run of the season over the right field fence.
Taylor tied the game at 6-6 in the fourth, hitting a sacrifice fly to left that Surane tagged up on.
Eau Claire took the edge back in the top of the seventh with a solo home run, but Kirchberg hit his second home run in as many days with Taylor on base to switch the lead back to the Titans' favor.
In the top of the eighth, Brett Gaynor (Fr. • Long Grove, Ill.) allowed runs on a single, a two-run double and a wild pitch before Alex Windey (Jr. • Wrightstown) came in to get out of the inning without allowing another run.
Singles from Surane and McNamara scored Skenandore and McKellips respectively in the eighth before Surane tied the game up again, running home as Taylor reached on a throwing error by the second baseman. The next three batters went down in order before Windey forced three straight putouts in the top of the ninth.
Skenandore and McKellips singled in back-to-back at-bats to put runners on first and second. Riley Pfeiffer (So. • Lockport, Ill.) then came in to pinch run for Skenandore and recorded the winning run on a Surane single.
The Titans will travel to UW-Whitewater for an away series on Saturday and Sunday (April 6-7). They will begin play at noon on both days
Written by Emily Buffington, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information