Titans, Yellowjackets Settle For One Win Apiece
UW-Oshkosh's Nolan Fadness (Jr. • Eau Claire) and UW-Superior's Paul Schlangen each had a two-homer game to lead their teams to victory as the squads split a baseball doubleheader on Saturday (April 10) at Tiedemann Field.
The Titans (9-8/2-1 WIAC) used six runs in the first two frames to achieve a 10-8 win in game one. Game two saw the Yellowjackets (8-7/1-1 WIAC) rattle off 11 unanswered runs as TJ Wink struck out 11 in his 11-3 triumph.
A wild first inning of the opener saw each team tally three times. UW-Oshkosh marked a pair of runs on Derek Hiroskey's (Jr. • Kimberly) double to center. After Hiroskey touched home on a groundout, Robbie Veith singled during the bottom half to make it 3-1. Schlangen then ripped a two-run single to equal the score.
A Troy Mrkvicka (So. • Greendale) double and Tyler Kamps' (Fr. • Appleton) single put the Titans back on top during the second. Fadness made it three consecutive frames with a trio of runs when he bashed a two-run homer to right for the 6-3 advantage.
UW-Superior had its first two batters retired before Brett Olson drilled a solo home run in the top of the third. Fadness had the Titans' response in the fourth, connecting for his second two-run shot to go ahead, 8-4.
Travis Derocha (So. • Green Bay) got UW-Oshkosh to 10 runs when he notched a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh. The Yellowjackets also marked in the frame on Shaun Marshall's single. UW-Superior then pulled within two during the eighth on a Veith run-scoring single and a double from Joe Ahrens.
The win went to Luke Westphal (So. • Clintonville), who struck out nine while allowing five runs over 6.1 innings. Kyle Kannenberg (Sr. • Oshkosh) yielded three runs during the final 2.2 frames to earn the save. The Yellowjackets had Dan Lindsey take the loss after giving up eight runs, as Chris Ransom tossed the seventh and eighth frames.
A throwing error and hit batsman put a pair of runners on base during UW-Oshkosh's second inning of the nightcap. Nolan Fadness then continued his stellar day with a two-run infield single.
UW-Superior scored the game's next 11 runs, including six on five hits and two Titan errors in the fifth. Mitch Loegering opened the frame with a solo home run, while Olson followed with a double. The Yellowjackets upped their advantage to 6-2 when a pair scored on both Schlangen's home run and a Sean Cummings double.
Schlangen tacked on a two-run double in the sixth before an Ahrens single increased the lead to 9-2 during the seventh. UW-Superior got another Schlangen round-tripper to kick off the eighth, and Olson posted the last Yellowjacket score with an RBI single.
Wink surrendered one earned run over 7.1 innings before Mike Swanson downed the last four batters, including three via strikeout. Mrkvicka took the pitching loss after yielding eight runs and striking out five in 5.1 innings. Andrew Murphy (Fr. • Suamico) allowed two earned runs over the last 3.2 frames for the Titans, who marked in the eighth on a Kannenberg fly out.
Each team tallied 12 hits in the first contest, while UW-Superior compiled a 13-6 advantage in the finale. The Titans, who committed four errors in the nightcap, were paced by four hits apiece from Fadness and Doug Beattie (Fr. • Escanaba, Mich.). Schlangen topped the visitors with six hits and eight runs batted in.
UW-Oshkosh and UW-Superior will play two more contests on Sunday (April 11) at Tiedemann Field.