Warhawks Hand Titans First Two WIAC Defeats Of Season
Erika Berry, Caitlin Hoerning, Kaitlyn Krol and Clare Robbe all hit home runs for UW-Oshkosh, but UW-Whitewater earned a pair of one-run softball victories over the Titans on Saturday (April 23) in Whitewater.
A leadoff seventh-inning home run by Krol tied the first game before UW-Whitewater walked off with a 3-2 win in the home half of the frame. The Warhawks completed the doubleheader sweep by holding on for an 8-7 decision in the nightcap as the Titans scored all of their runs on a trio of home runs, including two in the seventh inning.
Despite the losses, UW-Oshkosh (21-7, 8-2 WIAC) still maintains a half-game lead in the league standings over second-place UW-Eau Claire (18-11-1, 7-2-1 WIAC) and a one-game advantage over third-place UW-Whitewater (21-10, 7-3 WIAC) with four conference games remaining.
In the first contest, UW-Whitewater starting pitcher Julia Camardo outdueled her counterpart, Sara Brunlieb, and Warhawks pinch-hitter Lauren Janczak delivered the game-winning single with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Brunlieb struck out the side in the first inning before running into trouble in the second. UW-Whitewater's Amy Ricci led off the inning by reaching second base on an infield throwing error. Emily Rux followed with a single that plated Ricci to open the scoring. Rux was sacrificed to second base, but Brunlieb got out of the jam by retiring the next two Warhawk batters.
Hannah Taylor hit a leadoff home run – her third of the season – in the third inning to give UW-Whitewater a 2-0 lead.
Camardo struck out seven of the first 13 UW-Oshkosh batters until Abby Menting hit a one-out single in the fourth inning. Menting advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Krol and came in to score on a two-out single by Hoerning.
After Brunlieb escaped a bases-loaded jam unscathed in the sixth inning, Krol knotted the score at 2 on her second home run of the season in the seventh. Camardo responded by setting down the next three Titan batters.
Taylor was hit by a Brunlieb pitch to lead off the UW-Whitewater seventh inning. Jessica Kaemerer, who pinch ran for Taylor, came in to score the decisive run after Mallory Klotz and Janczak followed with consecutive singles to right field.
Camardo earned the complete-game victory after allowing two runs on four hits. She walked two and struck out 10.
Brunlieb (11-4) was charged with the loss, yielding three runs (two earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts.
In the nightcap, UW-Whitewater jumped out to a 5-0 lead on five unearned runs in the first inning and withstood a pair of three-run home runs and a solo shot by UW-Oshkosh.
UW-Whitewater's first four batters reached on three errors and one walk in the first inning. Nikki Mikosz and Janczak both lifted a sacrifice flies in the frame, while Michayla Swanson and Taylor provided run-scoring singles against UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Paige Giese, who recorded two outs before being relieved by Robbe.
Robbe hit a three-run home run in the second inning off of Warhawks starting pitcher Stephanie Waller to trim the Titan deficit to 5-3.
Taylor added her second sacrifice fly of the game in the third inning before Janczak delivered a run-scoring double in the fifth frame. Haley Morelli extended the Warhawk lead to 8-3 with a two-out single in the sixth.
The Titans left 12 runners on base against three UW-Whitewater pitchers. UW-Oshkosh left the bases loaded in third, fifth and sixth innings and stranded another two runners in the fourth frame.
Camardo entered the pitcher's circle for UW-Whitewater in the fifth inning. She worked her way out of bases-loaded, one-out situations by registering a pair of strikeouts in the fifth inning and getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the sixth.
Hoerning hit a home run off of Camardo to lead off seventh inning. Giese singled and Elizabeth Fonk walked with one out ahead of Bayreuther, who reached on a fielder's choice. With UW-Oshkosh down to its final out, Berry launched a three-run home run to trim the UW-Whitewater lead to 8-7.
Lauren Torborg followed Berry's first home run of the year with a double, but Camardo preserved the Warhawk win by striking out Krol on three pitches to end the contest.
Morelli had three of UW-Whitewater's 10 hits, while the Titans' 11-hit attack was led by two each from Berry, Hoerning, Robbe and Torborg.
Waller was credited with the victory after ceding three runs on four hits and four walks in four innings pitched.
Camardo picked up the save, yielding four runs on six hits in 2.2 innings pitched. She notched four strikeouts and walked one.
Giese (4-2), who reentered to pitch the sixth inning, suffered the loss. She allowed six runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk in 1.2 innings pitched.
Robbe tossed the remaining 4.1 innings for the Titans, surrendering two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
UW-Oshkosh's doubleheader scheduled for Sunday (April 24) against nationally ranked Luther College (Iowa) at the UW-Oshkosh Softball Park has been cancelled. The next games for the Titans will be at Marian University on Tuesday (April 26).
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, UW-Whitewater Athletics