Titans Defeat Blue Devils In WIAC Championship Opener
Claire Petrus earned the win in the pitcher's circle and went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in at the plate to help lead UW-Oshkosh to a 9-3 victory over UW-Stout during the opening round of the WIAC Softball Championship (presented by Culver's) on Friday (May 4) in Whitewater.
UW-Oshkosh (24-10), seeded second at the WIAC tournament, advances to play in the winner's bracket final at 10 a.m. Saturday (May 5) against top-seeded and five-time defending league postseason champion UW-Whitewater. UW-Whitewater (23-11-1) defeated fourth-seeded UW-Eau Claire, 7-0, to reach the winner's bracket final.
Kaitlyn Krol provided a pair of hits and three runs batted in for the Titans, who also received two hits and two RBIs from Brianna Witter.
UW-Oshkosh outhit UW-Stout, 10-7, while the Blue Devils committed four errors that led to five unearned runs. The Titans, who did not strike out the entire game, committed one error but stranded eight baserunners on the way to extending their winnings treak to eight games.
The Titans took a 2-0 lead over UW-Stout in the bottom of the first inning and reclaimed the lead for good at 4-3 behind a pair of unearned runs during the home half of the fourth frame. UW-Oshkosh, which has won nine of its last 10 meetings with the Blue Devils, put the game away with five runs on five hits in the sixth inning.
Petrus, who started the game as the Titans designated player, drove in the first run of the game with a bases-loaded single to the center field wall that scored Natalie Dudek, who reached via a one-out single. Witter was later hit by a pitch with two outs and the bases loaded to extend the Titan advantage to 2-0.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Bailey Smaney held UW-Stout scoreless on just one hit through the first three innings until the Blue Devils chased Smaney from the game with a three-run top of the fourth inning. Melea Bruns snuck a line drive over the left-field wall for a two-run homer with one out. Renee Murphy added a two-out, run-scoring single that provided the Blue Devils a 3-2 edge.
The Titans, averaging a WIAC-leading 6.3 runs per game, answered with a pair of unearned runs after two outs in the home half of the fourth inning. Witter hit a leadoff single and Amanda McIlhany reached first base via an error by Bruns, the Blue Devils relief pitcher, who threw wildly to first base after fielding McIlhany's bunt. UW-Oshkosh loaded the bases with two outs following shortstop Morgan Dunkleburger's fielding error that allowed Witter to score the tying run. Krol followed with a single to plate McIlhany with the eventual game-winning run.
Petrus pitched the final 3.2 innings in scoreless fashion, limiting UW-Stout to a two-out double in the fifth inning and a single during the sixth frame.
UW-Stout (21-11) had runners at first and second bases to start the sixth inning, but Titans catcher Abby Menting caught a runner trying to steal third base for the first out. A spectacular play on the left side of the infield preserved their one-run edge as UW-Oshkosh third baseman Erika Berry fielded a sharp grounder off the bat of Kyncaide Diedrich and flipped the ball to Dudek, the Titans shortstop, who swooped in from behind and applied a tag that narrowly beat the runner trying to advance to third base. Petrus then induced a flyout to escape the jam.
UW-Oshkosh's ensuing five-run outburst in the sixth inning featured an RBI triple by Petrus, a two-run double from Krol, and RBI singles by Menting and Witter. Krol's third RBI of the game increased her team-leading total to 28 on the year.
The triple by Petrus extended the Titans' program record to 20 three-base hits on the year. UW-Oshkosh, which has recorded at least one extra-base hit in 16 consecutive contests and in all but two games this season, becomes the 10th WIAC team to ever reach 20 triples in one season and the first since UW-Whitewater in 1999.
Petrus (13-7), who moved into a tie for the conference lead in wins, has now collected seven doubles, two triples and one home run among her 13 hits this season. Petrus stuck out one without issuing a walk Friday.
Murphy led UW-Stout with two hits. The Blue Devils, who entered Friday with a league-leading 71 stolen bases, was held to just one steal on two attempts.
Bruns (5-4) was charged with the loss for the Blue Devils, yielding three runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk in four innings of relief.
UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout, which have battled at each of the last five league tournaments, have both won four of their eight all-time matchups in WIAC postseason play. The Titans also downed the Blue Devils at the WIAC Championship in 2009, 2015 and 2016.
UW-Stout, which bounced the Titans from the league tournament last year, will finish its elimination contest against fifth-seeded UW-River Falls on Saturday morning. The Blue Devils and Falcons played to a 5-5 tie through seven innings before the game was suspended due to darkness. The winner of UW-River Falls and UW-Stout will play an elimination contest against UW-Eau Claire later on Saturday.
Friday's action at the double-elimination WIAC Championship began with UW-Eau Claire (21-17) slipping past fifth-seeded UW-River Falls (21-13) by a 2-1 score.
The WIAC Championship wraps up with the title game on Sunday (May 6). The winner of the WIAC Championship earns the league's automatic berth to the 62-team NCAA Division III Championship that begins May 10.
Photo courtesy of Paul Fionda