Titans Sweep Pointers To Remain In WIAC Title Race
Katie Koepsel eclipsed the program's career home run mark and Hayden Krueger homered in both games as the UW-Oshkosh softball team put itself in a position to win a conference championship with two victories at UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday (April 22).
The Titans, winners of 18 of their last 21 games, prevailed by scores of 7-3 in the opener and 7-4 in the nightcap.
UW-Oshkosh (25-9, 11-3 WIAC) can clinch a share of its fourth WIAC title and first since 2007 with two wins at league-leading UW-La Crosse (24-8, 9-1 WIAC) on Sunday (April 26).
Koepsel hit her conference-leading 10th homer of the year and 32nd of her career in the seventh inning of the opener. She surpasses the school record of 31 established by Whitney Tornow from 2007-10 and moves into seventh place in WIAC history. Koepsel connected for nine homers during her freshman season, six in 2013 and seven last year. Three players are tied atop the conference record book with 38 home runs.
Both teams launched five home runs in the doubleheader. Sixteen of the 21 total runs in the two games scored as a result of homers, including 9 of 10 in the opener. The Titans have now hit a school-record 36 home runs this season.
Sara Brunlieb was the winning pitcher in both games for UW-Oshkosh after starting the first contest and coming in to finish the nightcap. She improved her season record to a WIAC-leading 17-3 and her career mark to 28-7.
In the first game, UW-Stevens Point's Sam Raddant led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run off of Brunlieb, but it would be the Pointers' only lead of the day.
UW-Oshkosh's Elizabeth Fonk delivered a two-run homer and Haley Bayreuther gave the Titans a 3-1 lead with a two-out, run-scoring single in the second frame, but the Pointers knotted the score with solo home runs by Bre Ellison to lead off the second inning and Paige Allen with one out in the third.
Krueger hit her first homer of the day – a two-run shot off of UW-Stevens Point starting pitcher Miranda Morrison – to give the Titans a 5-3 advantage in the fifth inning before Koepsel capped the scoring with her two-run home run in the seventh.
Bayreuther had three hits to pace the Titans while Krueger and Koepsel added two hits apiece.
Brunlieb allowed six hits and three runs in five innings. She recorded five strikeouts and walked three.
Clare Robbe picked up her third save of the season for the Titans after pitching two shutout innings and allowing just one hit.
Morrison (6-9) was charged with the loss for UW-Stevens Point, yielding five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks in 4.2 innings pitched.
In the second game, Bayreuther led off the first inning with a double and Krueger followed with her second home run of the day and seventh of the season for a 2-0 Titan lead.
UW-Oshkosh added a pair of unearned runs in the third inning, including one on a double by Caitlin Hoerning that increased the Titan advantage to 4-0.
UW-Stevens Point's Jordon Schreiner hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning, and Bailie Sheahan tied the game at 4 with a solo home run in the fourth frame. Sheahan added a double and finished the contest 3-for-3.
The Titans reclaimed the lead on Fonk's two-run, two-out single in the fifth inning, and Erika Berry added an insurance run with her second home run of the season in the seventh.
Hoerning and Krueger both had two of UW-Oshkosh's 10 hits. Maddie Sadwey contributed two hits for UW-Stevens Point (13-22, 3-9 WIAC).
Brunlieb pitched three shutout innings after relieving Robbe in the fifth. Brunlieb allowed three hits and struck out two batters. Robbe gave up all four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out four.
UW-Stevens Point starting pitcher Sydney Gorges (5-10) took the loss, ceding six runs (four earned) on nine hits in five innings.
UW-Oshkosh concludes its regular-season home schedule with a nonconference doubleheader against Ripon College on Saturday (April 25).