Titans Complete Upper Peninsula Trip Unbeaten
Ten different players drove in runs as the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh softball team remained unbeaten with two more lopsided victories Sunday (Feb. 25) in Marquette, Mich.
UW-Oshkosh (4-0), ranked 23rd in the NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, defeated Lakeland and Marian universities by scores of 6-1 and 9-1, respectively. The win over Marian University ended in the sixth inning due to the eight-run rule.
The Titans concluded their four-game trip to the Superior Dome with a .453 batting average and a 0.91 earned run average. UW-Oshkosh is outscoring opponents by a combined 35-3 score this season and won three of its games by the eight-run rule.
UW-Oshkosh collected 27 hits Sunday, including six by Abby Menting and four from Erika Berry. The Titans had 10 doubles on the day to increase their season total to 18.
Titans pitcher Bailey Smaney recorded a career-high seven strikeouts against Lakeland University, and Claire Petrus struck out five against Marian University.
In the win over Lakeland University, the Titans staked Smaney to 3-0 lead in the fourth inning behind run-scoring hits from Natalie Dudek and Amanda McIlhany.
UW-Oshkosh added a pair of runs in the fifth frame and one in the sixth before the Muskies averted a shutout in the home half of the seventh inning.
Dudek gave the Titans a 2-0 advantage with a double in the second inning. McIlhany then laced a run-scoring double for a 3-0 lead in the fourth frame.
Kaitlyn Krol provided an insurance run with an RBI groundout that plated Rachel Ashauer, and Jordan Manthei scored the Titans' fifth run following a Lakeland University error.
UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 6-0 on a sacrifice fly from Kailee Garstecki in the sixth inning.
Smaney held Lakeland University to just three hits over the first six innings. The Muskies loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh frame, and Smaney's bid for her third career shutout was foiled by a run-scoring single by Carly Brault. Smaney then registered her final strikeout to conclude the game.
Smaney, who improved her record to 2-0 on the season, allowed six hits and three walks in the complete-game win.
Berry, McIlhany and Menting each had two of the Titans' 11 hits.
Meghan Etten went 2-for-3 to lead Lakeland University (1-2).
Muskies starting pitcher Niki Saviano was charged with the loss, yielding five runs (four earned) on seven hits in four innings.
In the victory against Marian University, the Titans held a 6-0 lead after three innings and completed the walk-off win with a three-run sixth frame.
Petrus stymied the Sabres, allowing just one baserunner through four innings. She struck out the side in the first frame and recorded her career-high-tying sixth strikeout in the fourth inning.
Petrus (2-0) allowed one run on four hits in five innings pitched.
UW-Oshkosh opened the scoring with a three-run second inning that featured run-scoring hits from Natalie Dillon and McIlhany, and an RBI groundout by Brianna Witter.
Berry extended the Titan advantage to 4-0 with a single that scored Menting. Berry later came around to score on a two-out fielding error by the Marian University first baseman.
The Titans increased their lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Tanya Hammitt singled with two outs and scored on an error by the Sabres right fielder.
Marian University (1-2) trimmed its deficit to 6-1 with an RBI single by Katy Croeker, but Petrus induced a double play to end the threat and conclude her outing.
UW-Oshkosh clinched the win with five consecutive hits in the sixth inning. Witter led off with a ground-rule double, Dillon and Emma Fionda singled, Menting smacked a ground-rule double, and Manthei hit a walk-off single up the middle.
Menting went 4-for-4 to pace the Titans while Berry and Dillon added two of UW-Oshkosh's season-high 16 hits.
Peyton Loesch had a pair of hits for Marian University.
Myranda Schuttenhelm suffered the loss in the pitcher's circle for the Sabres after yielding five runs (four earned) on eight hits in three innings pitched.
Dudek, Menting, Petrus and Smaney represented UW-Oshkosh on the 20-member Dome Classic all-tournament team.
Dudek went 5-for-10 over the four-game weekend and did not commit an error in 18 fielding chances.
Menting led the team with seven hits, three doubles, four runs batted in and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
Petrus and Smaney both had 2-0 records in the pitcher's circle. Petrus allowed one earned run across 10 innings while Smaney had 11 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.
Finlandia University (Mich.) hosted the games in Marquette the past three days and selected UW-Oshkosh's Dudek, Menting, Petrus and Smaney to its all-tournament team.
UW-Oshkosh heads to Arizona for six games in three days next weekend. The Titans open the trip Friday (March 2) against George Fox University (Ore.) and Messiah College (Pa.).