Thrilling Victory In Nightcap Gives Titans Split With Blugolds
UW-Oshkosh reclaimed the lead for the third and final time with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and held on to win a wild second game over UW-Eau Claire, salvaging a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader split Saturday (April 17) at the UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.
UW-Oshkosh (11-5, 3-1 WIAC) outlasted UW-Eau Claire, 11-9, during the nightcap after losing a 6-2 decision in the opener. The Titans and UW-Eau Claire (17-9, 6-2 WIAC) concluded the day tied for first in the league standings.
In the thrilling second game Saturday, the Titans overcame a 4-0 deficit in the second inning, broke a 6-6 tie on Morgan Rau's two-run homer during the home half of the fifth frame, and once again fought back from a 9-8 deficit in the decisive sixth that featured a game-tying single from Rau and a go-ahead, two-out RBI single by Amanda Mc Ilhany.
Rau, whose first collegiate home run was a towering shot just inside the fair pole down the left field line, finished the nightcap 2-for-3 with a season-high four runs batted in. Mc Ilhany went 3-for-4, scored a crucial run with a spectacular slide in the fourth inning and drove in the game-winning run.
UW-Oshkosh outhit the Blugolds, 12-10, during the back-and-forth second game as Kailee Garstecki also went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in for the Titans while Natalie Dudek added a pair of hits and one RBI, and Acacia Tupa reached base three times via a double and two walks. Tupa stole two bases, scored twice and drove in one run.
UW-Eau Claire scored four runs in the top of the second inning on RBI singles from Megan Maruna and Bailee Sillman sandwiched around a Titans infield error that allowed two runs to score.
Rau's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning scored Garstecki with the first Titan run, and Dudek pulled UW-Oshkosh within 4-2 on a single that brought home Tupa. The Titans then took their first lead of the day with a three-run fourth frame that featured Tupa's double that scored Mc Ilhany, a Blugolds error on a popup with two outs that allowed Tupa to score, and Garstecki's two-run double that plated Gabby Buikema and Ritter for a 6-4 advantage.
UW-Eau Claire answered with a pair of runs during the top of the fifth inning as Sadie Erickson blasted a long solo home run and Maria Back tied the score at 6 with a squeeze bunt that scored Sillman.
Rau lifted a two-run homer that also plated Ana Iliopoulos and provided the Titans an 8-6 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Blugolds responded again, scoring three times in the sixth frame on a passed ball, a Sillman RBI single and a run-scoring groundout by Abbey Place.
UW-Oshkosh relief pitcher Claire Petrus retired the last two of three batters she faced to end the top of the sixth inning, and Ritter drew a walk to lead off the home half of the frame before being lifted for pinch-runner Sydney Rau.
Garstecki followed with a single, representing the go-ahead run for the Titans, and Iliopoulos bunted for a single with one out to load the bases for Morgan Rau, who singled up the middle to bring home twin sister Sydney with the tying run. After Blugolds relief pitcher Abbey Cook recorded a strikeout for the second out and the bases still loaded, Mc Ilhany laced a sharp single down the right field line that scored Garstecki with what turned out to be the winning run. Iliopoulos was also ruled safe at the plate on the play, scoring from second base via an obstruction ruling on the UW-Eau Claire catcher.
Maddie Fink came on in relief of Petrus to begin the seventh inning and worked around a pair of one-out singles by inducing a double play to end the game as Iliopoulos, the Titans third baseman, fielded a groundball, stepped on third base for the second out and fired to first baseman Morgan Rau in plenty of time to conclude the game.
Petrus (2-0) was credited with the win while Fink earned her second save of the year.
Sillman went 3-for-3 for UW-Eau Claire, which also received two hits apiece from Maruna and Katelyn Yute.
Cook (1-2) was charged with the loss, yielding three runs on four hits and two walks in one inning.
In Saturday's first game, UW-Eau Claire never looked back after scoring twice in both the first and second innings. The Titans scored single runs in the third and fourth frames, but the Blugolds put the game away with two more runs in the top of the fifth.
Erickson was 3-for-4 to pace UW-Eau Claire. Maruna added two hits and drove in two runs.
Buikema and Natalie Dillon accounted for the UW-Oshkosh RBIs. Buikema and Ritter both had two of UW-Oshkosh's 10 hits.
UW-Eau Claire starting pitcher Morgan Sivak (7-3) picked up the win, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk with one strikeout across the first four innings.
Fink (6-2), UW-Oshkosh's starting pitcher in the opener, suffered the loss after surrendering six runs (five earned) in five innings.
UW-Oshkosh concludes its run of six consecutive home games when it hosts UW-Platteville for a WIAC doubleheader Tuesday (April 20).
Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Athletics