Titans Drop Decision To Vikings

OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh baseball team fell to North Park University (Ill.) by a score of 12-5 at Grizzlies Park in Sauget, Ill. on Sunday (Mar. 3).

Mason Kirchberg (Jr. • DeForest) went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI in the game to lead the Titans.

Josh Jansen (So. • DeForest) was Oshkosh's starting pitcher, however he was pulled after walking three batters and hitting a fourth to start the bottom half of the first inning. Brett Gaynor (Fr. • Long Grove, Ill.) got out of the inning without allowing another run and kept the Vikings off the board through the fourth.

Oshkosh scored its first runs on a Zach Taylor groundout and Kirchberg single to right field, to tie the game up in the top of the fourth inning.

Ethan Raspolich doubled with two runners on base in the fifth inning to break the tie for the Vikings. North Park crossed the plate three times in the sixth inning and once in the seventh when Nick Rector (Jr. • Sewell, N.J.) and Parker Thompson (So. • Wauwatosa) each pitched an inning.

Danny Connelly (Fr. • Mundelein, Ill.) advanced home on a balk to score the first of three Titan runs in the eighth inning. Carson Stenberg (Jr. • Balsam Lake) scored on an error that Taylor reached first on and Kirchberg sent Jack McNamara (So. • La Grange, Ill.)  with a single to cut the deficit down to 8-5.

Hoyt Keller (So. • Wautoma) allowed four runs with two outs as the first pitcher of the bottom half of the eighth inning before being relieved by Aaron Huibregtse (Jr. • Oostburg) for the final out.

The Titans will head down to Florida for the Russmatt Baseball Invitational form March 7-10 for games against Saint Mary's University (Minn.), Mitchell College (Conn.), Buena Vista University (Iowa) and Salve Regina University (R.I.).