Titans Take Two Games From Yellowjackets

Brianna Witter had a walk-off single in the opener, Clare Robbe pitched a five-inning three-hitter in the nightcap and the UW-Oshkosh softball team swept a doubleheader over UW-Superior on Sunday (April 12) at UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.

The Titans (19-7, 5-1 WIAC) won the first game, 4-3, in dramatic fashion and the second contest, 8-0, in five innings behind Robbe's fourth shutout of her freshman season.

Katie Koepsel ended the day 5-for-7 at the plate for the Titans with two doubles and three runs batted in.

UW-Oshkosh, which won its sixth straight game over UW-Superior (15-9, 1-5 WIAC), has won 12 of its last 13 contests on the season.

Trailing 3-2 in the seventh inning of the first game, UW-Oshkosh's Erika Berry drew a leadoff walk and scored the tying run on a double by Koepsel. The Titans loaded the bases with one out for Brianna Witter, who singled to left field to plate the winning run.

Berry went 3-for-3 with one double, one walk and three runs. Koepsel added three of the Titans' 10 hits in four at-bats.

Hayden Krueger, who entered with home runs in four of the past five games, was intentionally walked in all four plate appearances. She became the 12th player in WIAC history to be walked at least four times in one game. Entering this year, just 11 NCAA Division III players had been intentionally walked four times in one season.

Sara Brunlieb (12-2) went the distance in the pitcher's circle for UW-Oshkosh, yielding three runs on four hits. She struck out three batters and walked one en route to winning her 10th straight decision.

UW-Oshkosh took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Berry scored on an outfield fielding error with two outs.

UW-Superior claimed a 2-1 advantage in the second frame on a two-out, two run double by Ciarra Tiapale, but the Titans knotted the score at 2 in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Emily Mallek.

The Titans loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth inning, but the Yellowjackets turned a triple play to keep the score tied. Mallek's liner was caught by right fielder Kari Shipman, who fired to first base to beat the runner for the second out. UW-Superior first baseman Whitney Brugman made the toss to second base to easily complete the triple play.

Shelly Misco hit her first career home run with one out in the sixth inning to give the Yellowjackets a 3-2 lead. She ended the game with two hits and two runs.

Sarah Hendrickson took the loss for UW-Superior, allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits and five walks in 5.1 innings pitched. Hendrickson pitched the first five innings for the Yellowjackets and reentered in the seventh, yielding Koepsel's game-tying double and Witter's walk-off hit.

UW-Superior's Macy Hanson pitched a scoreless sixth inning and exited after walking Berry to lead off the seventh.

In the nightcap, UW-Oshkosh scored in every inning and won a shortened game over UW-Superior via the run rule for the fourth time in the last five meetings.

The Titans scored three runs in the second inning, two in the fifth, and single runs in the first, third and fourth.

Haley Bayreuther led off the first inning with her sixth home run of the season and ended the game 2-for-3 with two runs and two runs batted in.

Bayreuther singled home the Titans' second run, and Koepsel's two-run double gave UW-Oshkosh a 4-0 lead after two innings.

Mallek came in to score on an error in the third frame and later put the Titans ahead, 6-0, with a run-scoring single in the fourth inning.

Tanya Hammitt singled to lead off the UW-Oshkosh fifth inning and scored on the Yellowjackets' fourth error of the contest. The Titans ended the game on Kimberly Lohre's pinch-hit, RBI-single with no outs.

Koepsel and Mallek both doubled and had two of UW-Oshkosh's 12 hits.

Robbe (7-5) struck out four batters and yielded three singles in five innings pitched.

Hendrickson (12-7) was charged with another loss, going the first two innings for UW-Superior and allowing four runs on six hits.

UW-Oshkosh concludes its 10-game homestand with a doubleheader against UW-Whitewater on Wednesday (April 15) at UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.