Titans Net Falcons Twice
UW-Oshkosh's Amanda McIlhany, Abby Menting and Claire Petrus each homered while Sara Brunlieb and Petrus earned complete-game wins in the pitcher's circle as the nationally ranked Titan softball team swept a doubleheader at UW-River Falls on Saturday (April 29).
UW-Oshkosh (27-9, 7-5 WIAC), ranked 24th in the NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, never trailed on the way to defeating UW-River Falls by scores of 4-2 in the opener and 6-1 during the nightcap. The Titans have now won nine of their last 10 meetings with the Falcons.
The Titans can clinch the third seed at the upcoming five-team WIAC Championship with at least one win at UW-Stout in the conference finale on Sunday (April 30).
UW-River Falls (11-24, 3-11 WIAC), which lost its fourth straight game to UW-Oshkosh, concluded its conference slate tied for seventh in the league standings.
Menting, who extended her hitting streak to 10 games, had a pair of hits in both contests Saturday to lead the Titans. She went 2-for-2 in the opener with a double, a home run, two walks and two runs batted in during the opener before collecting a pair of singles and one RBI during the second contest to raise her team-leading batting average to .394 and her on-base percentage to .492 on the year.
In Saturday's first game, Brunlieb recorded seven strikeouts and scattered seven hits on the way to earning her 56th career win.
Brunlieb improved her season record to 11-3 while upping her career mark to 56-18. With the victory, Brunlieb assumes second place in program history in career wins. She surpasses Nila Gruenewald, who won 55 games for the Titans from 1982-85. Ronessa Stampfli holds the UW-Oshkosh record with 75 wins from 2005-08.
UW-Oshkosh tallied three runs in the first inning as Emma Fionda scored on a passed ball and Menting crushed a two-run homer with one out. The home run was Menting's fourth of the season and the 10th of her career.
UW-River Falls loaded the bases with two outs against Brunlieb in the home half of the first inning, but Brunlieb struck out Shannan Borchardt to escape the frame.
The Titans extended their lead to 4-0 when Natalie Dillon singled and scored on a two-out double by Erika Berry in the second inning.
Brunlieb pitched around leadoff singles in both the second and third frames before retiring the Falcons in order in the fourth inning and keeping her shutout intact despite issuing a two-out walk during the fifth frame.
UW-River Falls denied Brunlieb's bid for her 11th career shutout with a pair of runs in the sixth inning as Borchardt hit a one-out double and Amber Galloway followed with a two-run homer. However, Brunlieb responded with five consecutive outs to preserve the win.
Kaitlyn Krol added two of UW-Oshkosh's nine hits while Galloway and Aiyana Ledwein both contributed two of the Falcons' seven hits.
UW-River Falls starting pitcher Payton Speckel took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits and three walks in 5.1 innings.
In Saturday's nightcap, Petrus earned a complete-game victory in the pitcher's circle while going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a homer, a walk, two runs scored and three runs batted in.
The first three Titan batters of the game reached base as Fionda hit a leadoff triple, Berry was hit by a pitch and Menting delivered a run-scoring single against Speckel, who started both games in the pitcher's circle for UW-River Falls.
Speckel limited the damage to one run after getting an out on the bases, a strikeout and a groundout to end the opening inning.
Petrus and McIlhany hit back-to-back home runs to give UW-Oshkosh a 4-0 advantage in the top of the third inning. Petrus lifted a two-out, two-run homer to left field, and McIlhany followed with a solo shot to right-center field.
The homers were Petrus' third of the season and McIlhany's first. Petrus assumed the team lead with 24 RBIs while McIlhany became the ninth Titan to hit a home run this year.
Petrus had a four-hit shutout going, setting down 13 of the previous 14 Falcons batters, before giving up a leadoff single to Noelle Senour in the bottom of the seventh inning. UW-River Falls added two more singles in the final frame, including a two-out hit by Ali Krohn that spoiled Petrus' bid for her second shutout of the year.
Petrus (5-1) finished the game allowing one run on seven hits with four strikeouts.
Lexi Dupee paced the Falcons with two hits.
Speckel (6-12) was also charged with the loss for UW-River Falls in the nightcap, surrendering four runs on seven hits and one walk in three innings pitched.
UW-Oshkosh concludes its conference schedule with a doubleheader at UW-Stout on Sunday.