Titans Claim Both Games In Decatur Doubleheader
DECATUR, Ill.- The UW-Oshkosh baseball team claimed both games in a doubleheader against Millikin University (Ill.) and Benedictine University (Ill.) on Saturday (Mar. 16).
The Titans (6-5) beat Millikin (7-7) 5-1 in the first game and defeated the No. 19 nationally ranked Eagles (9-1) with a final score of 8-6 at Workman Family Baseball Field at Millikin.
Connor Brinkman (Jr. • New London) started on the mound against Millikin, pitching all 9.0 innings with 11 strikeouts while allowing a run on seven hits and one walk.
The game was scoreless until Millikin claimed its first and only run in the fourth inning on a solo home run. The Titans came back in the fifth inning with put their first run on the board with a Nick Shiu (Jr. • Gurnee, Ill.) single that scored Jack McNamara (So. • LaGrange, Ill.). Carter Stebane (Jr. • Brillion) sent two runs home in the following at-bat with another single. Owen Housinger (So. • Hawthorn Woods, Ill.) recorded the fourth RBI and Braydon Skenandore (So. • De Pere) registered the fifth run later in the inning to give Oshkosh a four run cushion headed into the bottom of the fifth.
Brinkman allowed just three hits in the last five innings, and none advanced as far as third base.
LJ Waco (Sr. • Cary, Ill.) pitched the first 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts, allowing three walks and five hits in the Titans' win over the nationally ranked Eagles.
Jake Surane (Sr. • Lincolnshire) scored the first run when Zach Taylor (Sr. • Long Grove, Ill.) singled to left field in the first inning. Benedictine tied the game in the second, also singling to left.
Two Oshkosh runs scored in the third inning. Taylor singled to send Surane across the plate and Mason Kirchberg (Jr. • DeForest) hit a sacrifice fly, scoring McNamara.
The Titans extended their lead to 6-1 by the sixth inning on an RBI single from Logan Schill (Fr. • Pewaukee) and an two RBI triple from Surane.
Waco allowed three runs in consecutive at-bats in the bottom half of the inning before Josh Jansen (So. • DeForest) came in as relief and ended the inning without giving up any more. Jansen pitched the remaining 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out four.
An Eagle single scored their fifth run in the seventh inning, decreasing Oshkosh's lead to just a run.
When Housinger reached the basepath on an error in the eighth inning, Stebane scored to make the score 7-5 and Taylor hit his fourth double of the young season in the top of the ninth to score Surane.
Down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth, Benedictine got a runner on when a wild pitch on a strikeout gave the batter time to run to first base. The next batter doubled to left field, sending the runner home, but Jansen forced a flyout to end the game and earn his second save of the season.
The Titans will play Benedictine in Decatur for the second time on Sunday (Mar. 17) at 11 a.m.
Written by Emily Buffington, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information