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Haley Bayreuther had one hit, scored twice and drove in one run during UW-Oshkosh's games against UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout.
Haley Bayreuther had one hit, scored twice and drove in one run during UW-Oshkosh's games against UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout.

Titans Rebound To Stay Alive In WIAC Championship

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Clare Robbe delivered a complete-game victory and Brianna Witter drove in two runs during UW-Oshkosh's second contest of the day as the Titans split a pair of games to remain alive at the double-elimination WIAC Softball Championship on Friday (May 6) in Eau Claire.

Second-seeded UW-Oshkosh (26-12) fell, 9-1, in six innings to third-seeded UW-La Crosse (26-12) in the first round, but the Titans responded by ousting fifth-seeded UW-Stout (17-21), 5-2, in an elimination contest of the five-team tournament.

UW-Oshkosh advances to play top-seeded and host UW-Eau Claire in an elimination game at noon on Saturday (May 7). UW-Eau Claire (24-11-1) was sent to the loser's bracket after falling, 5-1, to fourth-seeded UW-Whitewater (25-12) on Friday.

In the UW-Oshkosh's win over UW-Stout, Robbe took a shutout into the seventh inning while the Titan offense scored single runs in five different frames.

Witter gave the Titans a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the second inning and a two-out run-scoring single in the fourth.

The Blue Devils outhit the Titans, 10-8, but left runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings.

Robbe pitched around a one-out walk in the first inning before escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second.

UW-Stout starting pitcher Tori Workman and Sara Greisbach singled to start the bottom of the second inning, and Kaylee Francois reached on an infield error to load the bases. Robbe struck out Heather Bol for the first out, but seemingly gave up a single to Kim Jablonski. However, Jablonski was ruled to have left the front of the batter's box on her swing, leaving the bases loaded with two outs.

The Titans improbably escaped the inning unscathed as UW-Stout's Rachel Thomas hit a grounder near shortstop that touched the foot of Greisbach as she was attempting to advance from second to third base.

Robbe again pitched her way out of trouble after allowing consecutive singles to begin the third inning. Robbe caught an attempted bunt for the first out and induced a fly out from the next batter to put Blue Devils at first and third bases. The UW-Stout runner at first base tried a delayed steal and paused as UW-Oshkosh catcher Abby Menting threw down to second baseman Hayden Krueger, who tossed the ball back to Menting to nab the runner attempting to score from third.

Paige Giese extended UW-Oshkosh's lead to 3-0 with a two-out single in the fifth inning. Haley Bayreuther then lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, and Lindsey Luedke laced a run-scoring single to give UW-Oshkosh a 5-0 advantage  in the seventh.

UW-Stout, which lost (3-2) to UW-Whitewater in its the first game of the league tournament, received two-out, run-scoring hits by Beth Wood and Alicia Meyer in the seventh inning before the game ended when the Blue Devils were caught stealing at third base.

Robbe improved her record to 8-3 on the year after scattering 10 hits with three strikeouts against one walk.

Krueger and Lauren Torborg both had two of UW-Oshkosh's eight hits while UW-Stout was led by the two hits each from Greisbach, Wood and Karley Wiensch.

Workman took the complete-game loss, giving up five runs (three earned), striking out six and issuing three walks.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout met in the WIAC Championship for the third consecutive season. The Titans defeated the Blue Devils by a 3-0 score in last year's league tournament while UW-Stout slipped past UW-Oshkosh, 5-4, in 2014.

In the Titans' first game of the day, UW-La Crosse (26-12) opened the scoring with a three-run third inning before adding three more runs in the fifth frame and ending the contest via the eight-run with three tallies in the sixth.

Sydney Schemenauer led the Eagles with two hits and three runs batted in. Emily Holldorf, Ashley Lindstrom and Megan Nelson each added two of UW-La Crosse's 11 hits.

Caitlyn Hughes earned the complete-game victory in the pitcher's circle by allowing six hits – all singles – while registering two strikeouts.

The Eagles collected three consecutive one-out hits in the third inning off of Titans starting pitcher Sara Brunlieb. Holldorf doubled down the right field line to score the game's first run. UW-La Crosse tallied the eventual game-winning run on a passed ball as the Titans were attempting to intentionally walk Emilie Wiltzius to load the bases with two outs.

The Eagles then took a 3-0 lead when Wiltzius and Holldorf executed a double steal of second base and home.

Hughes pitched around a leadoff single by Witter in the third inning, and UW-La Crosse extended its advantage to 6-0 with a three-run outburst in the fifth.

Holldorf walked and Lindstrom singled with one out in the fifth inning, and a groundout moved them to second and third base. Sydney Murphy and Schemenauer followed with run-scoring singles, and pinch runner Erin Maletzke came in to score the Eagles' sixth run on an infield error.

UW-Oshkosh broke up Hughes' shutout bid on a run-scoring groundout by Erika Berry in the fifth inning, but UW-La Crosse put the game away with three runs on four hits and one walk against Titans relief pitcher Giese.

The Eagles loaded the bases with three straight one-out hits in the sixth inning. Following a force at the plate for the second out, Murphy drew a walk to drive in a run and Schemenauer hit a two-run single to provide the final score.

Brunlieb (13-6) was charged with the loss for the Titans, yielding six runs (four earned) on seven hits in five innings pitched. She walked two and struck out two.

Giese and Witter both contributed two hits for the Titans, who had swept a doubleheader from UW-La Crosse on April 17 in Oshkosh.