Titans Return Home To Record A Pair of Easy Wins
After playing each of its 39 previous games on the road or at a neutral site, the UW-Oshkosh baseball team returned home to Tiedemann Field on Saturday (March 30) and result was a convincing doubleheader sweep of Finlandia University (Mich.).
UW-Oshkosh, which hadn't played at home since hosting UW-Stevens Point on April 12, 2018, defeated Finlandia University on Saturday in seven-inning scores of 10-0 for the first game and 21-7 for the second. The games opened WIAC for both teams.
UW-Oshkosh (9-6) scored runs in five of its seven at-bats in the opener. Alex Koch had run-scoring singles in the first, second and fourth innings for the Titans while Jensen Hinton smashed a fourth-inning two-run home run and Zack Radde went 3-for-3 with four runs scored and one run batted in.
The Titans scored twice in the first inning on a Koch single and a Finlandia University infield throwing error. UW-Oshkosh then extended its lead to 3-0 on Koch's second run-scoring hit of the contest.
UW-Oshkosh scored four runs on four hits in the fourth inning. The Titans tallied their runs on a Radde single to right field, a Koch single to shortstop and Hinton's two-run home run to right-center field.
Radde gave the Titans an 8-0 lead when he scored on a passed ball in the fifth inning. UW-Oshkosh then ended the game in the seventh inning as one run scored on a double by Jonathan Selchow and another on an outfield throwing error.
UW-Oshkosh pitcher Colan Treml allowed just one hit, a fourth-inning double by Joey Krug, and struck out 11 batters as he tied the program record for career shutouts with five. Treml (4-1) improved his career won-lost record to 23-9 by hurling his 13th career complete game.
Sawyer Murrell (0-2) took the pitching loss for Finlandia University (2-10). He pitched the first 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) and seven hits with a pair of strike outs.
Will Thompson pitched the final 2.1 innings for the Lions. He allowed two hits and three unearned runs.
UW-Oshkosh totaled 19 hits in the nightcap (one home run, four triples and four doubles) while scoring 10 runs on six hits in the first inning and five runs on three hits and two Finlandia University errors in the fifth.
The Titans' explosive first inning featured a two-run single by Hunter Staniske, a two-run triple by Radde and a two-run inside-the-park home run to center field by Koch. UW-Oshkosh's fifth-inning at-bat was highlighted by Koch's run-scoring double.
Radde and Staniske both went 4-for-4 at the plate in the second game while Dylan Ott went 3-for-6.
Radde had two triples and one double among his four hits. He also scored twice while driving in two runs. Staniske had a triple among his four hits and scored four times with three runs batted in. Ott had three singles, two runs scored and two runs batted in.
UW-Oshkosh also benefited from the two hits and three runs batted in from Koch and three runs batted in from Kade Bohlman.
Finlandia University scored in the top of the first inning on a double by Krug. The Titans then scored the next 19 runs before the Lions tallied four runs on four hits and one UW-Oshkosh error in the sixth.
Following two runs by the Titans in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Lions closed the game's scoring with two runs in the top of the seventh.
Finlandia University compiled nine hits off three UW-Oshkosh pitchers, including two hits apiece from Austin Green and Daniel Logan.
Ryan Wilkening (3-2) earned the pitching win for UW-Oshkosh after hurling 5.2 innings with six hits and five runs (four earned) allowed. He struck out seven Lions and walked one.
Wilkening was relieved by Homan in the sixth inning and Adam O'Mallley in the seventh. O'Malley retired the only batter he faced after Homan allowed three hits and two runs during his one inning of work.
Patrick Coles (0-2) was the losing pitcher for Finlandia University. He started on the mound for the Lions and was replaced after getting only two outs in the first inning. Coles allowed six hits and 10 runs (nine earned) to the Titans before his departure.
Three other Finlandia University pitchers – Jeff Saich, J.J. Piontek and Frankie Garcia – combined for the remaining 5.1 innings. The trio allowed 13 hits and 11 runs (eight earned).
UW-Oshkosh and Finlandia University conclude its four-game series with a doubleheader at Tiedemann Field on Sunday (March 31).