Titans Move Closer To WIAC Title

Clare Robbe pitched a two-hitter after taking a perfect game into the seventh inning of the nightcap as UW-Oshkosh remained atop the WIAC standings by sweeping a softball doubleheader from host UW-Platteville on Friday (April 29).

UW-Oshkosh (25-7, 10-2 WIAC) defeated UW-Platteville (4-24, 1-11 WIAC) by scores of 4-2 in the first game and 8-0 in the second. The Titans will take a one-half game lead over UW-Eau Claire (20-11-1, 9-2-1 WIAC) into their road doubleheader with the Blugolds on Saturday (April 30).

Robbe, making a bid for the second perfect game in UW-Oshkosh history, retired 18 consecutive UW-Platteville batters until Emily Woodford singled up the middle to begin the bottom of the seventh inning. Carley Rote later added a two-out single for the Pioneers.

Robbe (7-1), who recorded all 21 of her outs on the infield, registered six strikeouts on the way to her first shutout of the season and the sixth of her career.

UW-Oshkosh supported Robbe's gem with three runs in the first inning, one run in the fifth frame and four in the seventh.

Hayley Bayreuther was hit by a pitch from Brooke Posey to lead off the game and came around to score the eventual winning run on an infield single by Abby Menting. Hayden Krueger gave the Titans a 3-0 lead with a two-out, two-run double.

Erika Berry scored an unearned run in the fifth inning to extend UW-Oshkosh's advantage to 4-0 before the Titans erupted for four runs after two were out in the seventh, when Brianna delivered a two-run triple and Caitlin Hoerning and Robbe followed with run-producing singles.

Berry and Elizabeth Fonk both had two of UW-Oshkosh's 11 hits.

Posey suffered the complete-game loss for the Pioneers, yielding eight runs (three earned) with one strikeout and one walk.

In the first contest, UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Sara Brunlieb outdueled her counterpart, Jess Butzen, as the Titans held on after taking a 3-2 lead in the second inning.

UW-Oshkosh, which won its eighth straight game over UW-Platteville, took a 2-0 advantage in the first inning on consecutive two-out, run-scoring doubles by Menting and Paige Giese.

UW-Platteville knotted the score at 2 in the home half of the first inning on a run-scoring groundout by Thianna Wegner and a two-out, single by Dakota Stout.

The Titans reclaimed the lead for good on a run-scoring triple by Fonk in the second inning. UW-Oshkoshg added an insurance run on a Fonk single that scored Krueger in the fourth frame.

The Pioneers had just two runners reach second base after the first inning against Brunlieb.

Woodford singled and stole second base to lead off the UW-Platteville third inning, but Brunlieb set down the next three Pioneers on a pair of strikeouts sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt. UW-Platteville pinch runner Clair Baumgartner advanced to second base in the sixth inning on a two-out single by Posey, but Brunlieb escaped the minor jam by getting Rote to ground out.

Brunlieb (13-4) picked up the win, scattering six hits and striking out seven batter in her 11th complete-game effort of the season.

Five of the Titans' seven hits went for extra bases as Berry, Giese, Krueger and Menting each hit doubles and Fonk tripled.

Butzen was charged with the complete-game loss for UW-Platteville. She struck out four and walked three.