Titans Top Eagles For 10th Consecutive Victory

Sara Brunlieb pitched all 15 innings during UW-Oshkosh's softball sweep of UW-La Crosse on Friday (April 18) at YP.com Park.

During game one, the Titans rallied from a three-run deficit before Hayden Krueger's walk-off single earned a 6-5 decision in eight innings. UW-Oshkosh then scored three times in the first inning to record a 6-1 triumph in the nightcap.

The Titans (20-4/8-0 WIAC) have won 10 straight games to remain atop the league standings. UW-Oshkosh faces second-place UW-Stout (7-1) and third-place UW-Whitewater (8-2) next week.

Katie Koepsel, who had homered in her last three at-bats, smacked a double off the wall to start the scoring in the first inning of the opener. Lindsey Luedke followed with a run-scoring single to put the Titans up, 2-0.

The Eagles (18-8/6-4 WIAC) broke out for five runs in the fourth inning. Alecia Faber delivered the big blow with a two-run double to center. A successful squeeze bunt then put UW-La Crosse ahead, 5-2.

In the sixth inning, Emily Mallek hit a run-scoring double and Haley Bayreuther tallied a run-scoring single to pull the Titans within one. Luedke then came through with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to tie the score.

Sara Wickman singled to lead off the eighth inning. She advanced on a bunt before Krueger stepped to the plate and pulled a ball down the third-base line to score Wickman for the game-ending hit.

Brunlieb allowed three earned runs with two strikeouts over eight innings. Heather Grelle took the loss after yielding two runs in the final 1.2 frames.

Bayreuther kept the momentum going in the second contest with a leadoff triple to right field. Krueger was up next and drove Bayreuther home with her double to left. UW-Oshkosh grabbed a 3-0 advantage on Tess Fadness' sacrifice fly and Luedke's RBI groundout.

UW-La Crosse was able to score on Emily Holldorf's two-out single in the top of the fifth inning.

The Titans put the game away with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Bayreuther scored one with a single. Koepsel then smacked another double that brought home two more. Koepsel leads the WIAC this season with 16 doubles.

Brunlieb (10-1) pitched the entire game and allowed one earned run on eight hits. Grelle took another defeat, surrendering three runs in the first 3.1 innings.

UW-Oshkosh plays a doubleheader at #16 North Central College (Ill.) on Saturday (April 19).

By Jon Feyen