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Sara Brunlieb pitched to only 26 batters in recording a four-hit shutout of the Blue Devils in the opener.
Sara Brunlieb pitched to only 26 batters in recording a four-hit shutout of the Blue Devils in the opener.

Titans Sweep Blue Devils To Secure WIAC Third-Place Finish

Sara Brunlieb pitched a four-hit shutout in the opener while Abby Menting and Kaitlyn Krol capped a seventh-inning rally with two-out, run-scoring hits in the nightcap as the UW-Oshkosh softball team won both games of a doubleheader with UW-Stout on Sunday (April 30) in Menomonie.

UW-Oshkosh (29-9, 9-5 WIAC) took both games by one-run scores, 1-0 in the first contest and 4-3 in the second, to finish third in the WIAC standings. UW-Stout (16-22, 5-9 WIAC) concluded WIAC play with a fifth-place finish.

Both squads will participate in the five-team WIAC Championship that will be held next weekend (May 5-7) at UW-Whitewater (33-7, 14-0 WIAC), the league's regular-season champion.

In Sunday's first contest, UW-Oshkosh scored in the top half of the first inning and relied on Brunlieb's second shutout of the season to defeat UW-Stout.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked 24th in the NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, grabbed its early lead with the help of one hit and a UW-Stout error during its first at-bat.

The Titans' Emma Fionda opened the game by reaching first base due to an infield error. Following a sacrifice bunt by Erika Berry and a single by Abby Menting that moved Fionda to third base, Kaitlyn Krol grounded out to third base to score Fionda for the contest's only run.

UW-Oshkosh left seven runners on base the rest of the game, including three in the third inning and two in both the second and sixth frames.

The Titans loaded the bases with the help of two hits and one UW-Stout error in the third inning, but Blue Devil pitcher Beth Wood got UW-Oshkosh's Natalie Dillon to strike out with three runners on base.

UW-Stout stranded five base runners, including two in the third frame when the Blue Devils left players on second and third bases following an inning-ending strikeout.

UW-Oshkosh tallied five hits, including two apiece by Menting and Amanda McIlhany. Four players had one hit each for UW-Stout.

UW-Oshkosh's Brunlieb (12-3) pitched to only 26 batters in the opener, five over minimum. She struck out three batters while walking one. The complete game was her seventh of the season.

Wood (7-9) suffered the complete-game pitching loss for UW-Stout. She pitched to 30 batters and struck out two of them.

Sunday's second game was another pitching duel as UW-Oshkosh's Bailey Smaney scattered two hits and UW-Stout's Kyncaide Diedrich four through five scoreless innings.

After Diedrich left one UW-Oshkosh runner on base in the top half of the sixth inning, UW-Stout pulled in front with three runs on three hits during the bottom portion of the frame.

Wood opened the Blue Devils' sixth inning with a walk before being replaced by Kate Horn as a pinch runner. Heather Bol then hit a double to score Horn for the game's first run. Following the insertion of Kaitlyn Murray as a pinch runner for Bol, Kaylee Francois doubled to score Murray and chase UW-Oshkosh's Smaney from the game.

Claire Petrus replaced Smaney as the Titans' pitcher and Alicia Meyer greeted her with a single. Following a groundout by Katelyn Schobert and a walk to Megan Hultgen to load the bases, Rachel Thomas reached on a fielder's choice to score Francois for the Blue Devils' third run. The inning ended one batter later as Diedrich grounded out.

UW-Oshkosh exploded for four runs in the seventh inning to register its seventh victory in eight games. The Titans recorded four hits in the frame, including a double by Menting and a single by Krol following a two-out error by Murray, the UW-Stout shortstop.

Diedrich retired UW-Oshkosh's McIlhany on a pop out to start the seventh inning. She then surrendered consecutive singles to the Titans' Natalie Dudek and Caitlin Hoerning before being replaced by Wood.

Fionda was the first batter Wood faced and she loaded the bases for UW-Oshkosh after reaching on Murray's error. Following a fly out by Erika Berry, Menting belted a bases-loaded to double to tie the score and extend her hitting streak to 12 consecutive games. One batter later, Krol singled to left field to give the Titans a 4-3 lead. The inning ended with a Lauren Torborg pop out in the next at-bat.

Petrus walked the first batter she faced in the UW-Stout seventh frame before inducing a groundout and an inning-ending double play.

UW-Oshkosh counted eight hits, including two by Fionda. Five players had one hit each for the Blue Devils.

Petrus (6-1) pitched the final two innings to earn the win for the Titans. She allowed just one hit while facing only eight batters. Smaney allowed four hits and three runs during her five innings of work.

Wood (7-11) took the pitching loss after allowing two unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning. Diedrich hurled 6.1 innings and yielded six hits and two unearned runs.

UW-Oshkosh concludes its regular season with a doubleheader at St. Norbert College on Tuesday (May 2).

Photo by Layne Pitt, UW-Stout Sports Information