Titans Lose Pair To Illinois Foes

UW-Oshkosh had its three-game winning streak halted as the Titans suffered a pair of defeats to softball teams from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) on Monday (March 21) in Clermont, Fla.

North Central College (Ill.) won a 2-1 pitcher's duel over the Titans on a pair of unearned runs in the second inning, while Millikin University (Ill.) bested UW-Oshkosh, 7-4.

Abby Menting went a combined 4-for-6 with one home run and four runs batted in during the two games for UW-Oshkosh (4-3).

North Central College (5-2), which received an at-large berth into last year's NCAA Division III Championship, has allowed just four runs during its current three-game winning streak.

Millikin University (4-4) was playing UW-Oshkosh for the first time since the 1988 season.

In the setback to North Central College, the Titans struck for a run in the top of the first inning after Erika Berry singled and came in to score on a single by Menting, who paced the team with two hits.

UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Sara Brunlieb nearly worked out of a jam in the second inning, but the Cardinals' Bri Floyd recorded a two-out, two-run single that proved to be the difference.

Rachele Belletini singled to lead off the North Central College second inning, and Brooke Kehoe reached on an error by UW-Oshkosh shortstop Haley Bayreuther. Brunlieb registered a strikeout and a groundout that moved the runners to second and third base prior to Floyd's game-winning hit.

Elizabeth Fonk walked and stole second base to start the UW-Oshkosh fifth inning. She was sacrificed to third base with one out, but Cardinals' starting pitcher Andrea Starr stranded the potential tying run by inducing a popup and a groundout to end the inning.

UW-Oshkosh threatened again in the seventh inning when pinch-hitter Paige Giese laced a leadoff double. After Tanya Hammitt pinch ran for Giese, Starr recorded two outs with a popup and a line out. Hammitt advanced to third base on a wild pitch, but Starr struck out Bayreuther looking to end the game.

Starr earned the victory by limiting UW-Oshkosh to five hits in seven innings pitched. She notched six strikeouts and one walked.

Floyd went 2-for-3 for North Central College, while Kehoe had the Cardinals' lone extra-base hit with a sixth-inning double.

Brunlieb went the distance in the pitcher's circle for the Titans, yielding just five hits with six strikeouts. The Cardinals' two unearned runs in the second frame snapped Brunlieb's string of 18 consecutive scoreless innings.

In the loss to Millikin University, the Big Blue took the lead for good with a single run in the fourth inning and added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth.

Millikin University opened the scoring with four runs after two were out in the top of the third inning. Alexis Dockins knocked in the game's first run with a single, and Alyssa Visvardis added a three-run home run two batters later off of UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Clare Robbe.

UW-Oshkosh answered with four runs in the home half of the fourth inning. Menting launched a three-run home run, while Caitlin Hoerning knotted the score at 4 with a two-out, run-scoring single.

With runners at first and third base with two outs in the fifth inning, the Big Blue's Brooke Heimerl provided the eventual game-winning single that scored Kirsten Iversen.

Millikin University tallied its final two runs on a wild pitch with the bases loaded by Titans relief pitcher Kaitlyn Krol and a sacrifice fly by Haley Rotert.

UW-Oshkosh brought the potential tying run to the plate with two outs in the seventh inning, but Big Blue starting pitcher Cathy Lebryk closed out the victory with a fielder's choice off the bat of Lauren Torborg.

Lebryk scattered nine hits while notching four strikeouts and walking one.

Dockins and Visvardis both recorded two of Millikin University's nine hits while Bayreuther, Berry, Hoerning and Menting had two hits each for the Titans.

Robbe (0-1) took the loss, ceding five runs on six hits and two walks in four innings pitched.

Krol allowed two runs in one inning pitched for UW-Oshkosh, while Giese tossed two scoreless frames.

UW-Oshkosh remains in Clermont to face the University of Maine at Farmington and Bowdoin College (Maine) on Tuesday (March 22).