Titans Win Twice During Tripleheader
Erika Berry, Paige Giese and Kaitlyn Krol each drove in three runs as the UW-Oshkosh softball team won two of its three games on Saturday (Feb. 25) in Marquette, Mich.
UW-Oshkosh (4-1) opened the day with wins of 4-2 over UW-Superior and 8-0 in five innings over Lakeland University before falling, 3-2, to Concordia University Wisconsin.
Against UW-Superior, the Titans jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held on for the victory.
UW-Oshkosh outhit the Yellowjackets, 9-6, as the Titans picked up their fifth straight win in the series. Last season, UW-Superior compiled 27 wins and appeared in the NCAA Division III Championship.
Clare Robbe earned her second win of the year by surrendering two runs in four innings pitched. She allowed four hits and recorded three strikeouts.
Claire Petrus notched her first save after pitching three scoreless innings. She yielded two hits and walked one while striking out three.
Krol opened the scoring with a two-out, run-scoring double in the top of the first inning.
Krol plated another run with a single in the third inning before the Titans tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth on a run-scoring triple from Giese and an outfield error by UW-Superior with two outs.
UW-Superior broke up Robbe's bid for a shutout by scoring a pair of runs on a wild pitch and a subsequent error with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Petrus pitched around runners in scoring position during the fifth and sixth innings before tossing a perfect seventh frame. The Yellowjackets loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning, but UW-Oshkosh center fielder Caitlin Hoerning made a catch on a line drive to thwart the threat.
Krol concluded the contest 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, while UW-Superior's Bobbi Jean Miller had a pair of hits and one walk in three plate appearances.
Megan Pehrson suffered the complete-game loss in the pitcher's circle for the Yellowjackets. Three of the four runs charged to Pehrson were earned as she registered eight strikeouts against one walk.
In the victory over Lakeland University, Bailey Smaney collected her first pitching win as a Titan after surrendering just three hits across five innings. She struck out six and walked three.
UW-Oshkosh scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning before adding one insurance run in the third and two more in the fifth to invoke the eight-run rule.
The Titans' five-run second inning included a two-run single from Giese and a three-run, inside-the-park home run from Berry. The homer was the first of the year for UW-Oshkosh and the fourth of Berry's career.
Smaney pitched around a pair of baserunners in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings. She escaped the third inning by getting a groundout with two Muskies in scoring position. Smaney then retired three straight batters, including the last two via strikeouts, with runners at first and second base in the fourth inning.
With two outs and Lakeland University runners at first and second base in the fifth inning, UW-Oshkosh catcher Abby Menting preserved the shutout by firing the ball behind the runner at second base, who was then caught trying to steal third.
UW-Oshkosh won its third five-inning game of the season when Natalie Dudek smacked a two-run double with two outs in the fifth frame.
Calie Delisi, Mikayla Hilton and Jocelyn Yeager each recorded hits for the Muskies, who lost their fourth straight game to the Titans.
Lakeland University (0-2) starting pitcher Taylor Bush was charged with the loss after allowing five runs on five hits in 1.2 innings pitched.
In the Titans' final game of the day, Concordia University Wisconsin tied the score at 1 with a run in the top half of the sixth inning and held on after claiming a 3-2 advantage in the seventh.
UW-Oshkosh had runners at second and third base with one out in the home half of the seventh inning, but Falcons pitcher Emily Brekke got a flyout and a groundout to earn the victory in Concordia University Wisconsin's season opener.
Brekke and UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Sara Brunlieb were locked in a scoreless duel until Menting delivered a single with two outs in the fourth inning that plated Petrus with the game's first run.
The Falcons loaded the bases to start the fifth inning, but Brunlieb notched a strikeout and a pair of groundouts to end the frame.
Concordia University Wisconsin evened the score at 1 with an unearned run in the sixth inning. Brunlieb recorded two quick outs, but Carly Sobrilsky reached second base on an infield error. Sobrilsky then came around to score on a double by Christine Sharon.
Krol gave the Titans a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning with a two-out single that scored Petrus, but the Falcons tallied a pair of runs on four hits in the seventh frame to reclaim a 3-2 advantage.
Concordia University Wisconsin's Molly O'Connell, Sara Rosenow and Maddie Zazas hit consecutive one-out singles to tie the score at 2. Following a strikeout by Brunlieb, Deidra Weinberger's single drove home Rosenow with the eventual winning run.
Hoerning doubled with one out in bottom of the seventh inning, and Amanda McIlhaney followed with a single, but Brekke induced a shallow flyout and a groundout, stranding Titans and first and third base to end the game.
Brekke went the distance for the win, allowing two runs on five hits with one strikeout and two walks.
Brunlieb's pitching record fell to 1-1 after yielding three runs (two earned) on seven hits in the complete-game effort. She registered five strikeouts and issued two walks.
O'Connell had a pair of hits for Concordia University Wisconsin, while Petrus had one hit and one stolen base for the Titans.
UW-Oshkosh concludes its trip to Michigan with a game against Carroll University on Sunday (Feb. 26).
Photo by Paul Fionda