Titans Grab Two Dramatic Victories From Falcons

UW-Oshkosh posted two walk-off victories in the ninth inning over the UW-River Falls women's softball team on Saturday (April 21) at YP.com Softball Park. The Falcons are the defending WIAC champion.

The Titans (19-13/4-4 WIAC) gave up leads in the seventh frame of each contest before rallying in extra innings. During the opener, Emily Mallek (Fr. • Plover) raced home from first base to win the 3-2 game on Hillary Trebiatowski's (Jr. • Plover) double. Julie Sweeney (Fr. • Arlington Heights, Ill.) then ripped a single for the 8-7 nightcap walk-off.

Courtney Wautier (Jr. • Brussels) blanked UW-River Falls for the first six innings of game one. Meanwhile, UW-Oshkosh scored on Kelley Koebler's (Sr. • Janesville) double during the second and Trebiatowski's single in the fifth.

Trailing 2-0, the Falcons (20-11/5-5 WIAC) marked two runs in their seventh at-bat. The Titans turned a double play to prevent one score, but Hayley Buchanan came up with two outs and booked a single to tie the game. Buchanan extended her hitting streak to 18 and finished the day with five hits.

UW-Oshkosh reached on an error to open the ninth before Trebiatowski's clutch double. That gave Sweeney the pitching win with her three shutout frames. Wautier went six innings and allowed two runs with five strikeouts.

Rose Tusa, who entered with the conference's best ERA (1.38) and strikeout total (147), yielded two runs over five innings as the Falcon starter. Abbie Morris (loss) surrendered the final run.

UW-River Falls tallied in each of the first two innings during the second contest. In the bottom of the second, the Titans exploded for six runs on four hits. The vital blow was a two-run single by Kassie Krueger (So. • Plover), while Sweeney and Hayley Freimuth (Sr. • Combined Locks) each smacked a RBI single.

The Titans' 6-2 lead held until the top of the seventh. Jamie Klein led off with a solo homer to right-center. Following back-to-back errors, Amber O'Connell notched a three-run triple to put the visitors on top, 7-6.

Tess Fadness (So. • Eau Claire) came up as UW-Oshkosh's last chance with two outs during the bottom half. She launched a home run over the centerfield wall to force extra innings.

In the ninth, Kimberly Lohre (Fr. • Glenview, Ill.) nearly hit one out of the park, settling for a double. Lohre then touched the plate when Sweeney's rocket got past the Falcon infielders.

The pitching win went to Lohre after she got seven outs without yielding a run. Sweeney went the first 6.2 frames and was charged with one earned run. UW-River Falls had Tusa (two runs) and Sarah Bohlen (six runs) each go 3.2 innings, as Abbie Morris (loss) allowed the deciding unearned score.

Cindy Suess obtained her 200th coaching victory in the first game of the day. Suess holds an overall record of 201-122-1 in her eighth season with the Titans.

UW-Oshkosh has a pair of contests with UW-Stout on Sunday (April 22) at YP.com Softball Park.