Titans Split A Pair Of Narrow Decisions

Ashley Kowaleski (So. • Greenfield) tossed a scoreless frame in all but one of her 8.2 innings pitched as the UW-Oshkosh softball team split a doubleheader with Simpson College (Iowa) and Marian University on Sunday (Feb. 28) in Marquette, Mich.

The Titans dropped their first contest, 2-1, after the Storm (2-2) capitalized on a pair of sixth-inning homers. UW-Oshkosh (3-1) got a save from Kowaleski to bounce back and win its next game, 4-2, against the Sabres (0-3).

Neither squad was able to mark during the first five innings of the opener, even though Simpson College posted back-to-back singles in the first. With one out in the sixth frame, Allie Hock launched a solo home run to centerfield. Jessica Barkley then followed with two down and made it a 2-0 score with a blast of her own.

Lisa Hart (So. • Oshkosh) answered in the seventh with a leadoff single. The Titans then benefitted from two errors as Hart scored to cut the deficit in half. With the winning run on second base and nobody out, UW-Oshkosh struck out once and grounded out twice to take the defeat.

The win belonged to Whitney Oviatt, who fanned nine and did not allow an earned run over seven frames. Kowaleski took the loss, surrendering two runs while striking out six in six innings. Barkley tallied two base knocks as the Storm earned a 7-4 hit advantage.

The Titans jumped out early in game two as Amie Heinzelman (Sr. • Monroe) drew a walk. Following a sacrifice, passed ball and walk, UW-Oshkosh grabbed a 1-0 advantage when Heinzelman touched the plate on a double steal.

Emilie Jansen made sure that lead didn't last, smoking a solo home run to right field in the bottom half of the first. Heinzelman responded to the tie score by crushing her fifth round-tripper of the year for a 2-1 cushion in the third frame.

UW-Oshkosh upped its advantage to 3-1 in the fourth when Hart drew a walk and came home on Jamie Braden's (Jr. • Lake Villa, Ill.) double. The Titans added their final tally of the day on a wild pitch during the fifth inning.

Marian University rattled off three hits in the fourth, but its only score came on Emily Wiesman's solo homer. The Sabres, who got three of their nine hits from Wiesman, failed to mark on two hits in each of the fifth and seventh frames.

The Titans registered just four hits again, but the pitching of Courtney Wautier (Fr. • Brussels) allowed two runs with four strikeouts over 4.1 innings for the win. Kowaleski yielded three hits during 2.2 scoreless frames to close the game.

Jamie Whitehead walked six and gave up three earned runs for the complete-game loss.