Titans Rout Knights, Fall To Vikings

UW-Oshkosh tallied a season-high 23 hits during its 16-8 softball win over Wartburg College (Iowa) on Sunday (April 1) in Moline, Ill. The Titans (11-7) fell to Augustana College (Ill.) by a 3-1 count in their second game of the day.

The Knights got off to a strong start in the first contest, gaining a 2-0 lead. UW-Oshkosh then tallied seven runs in the third frame. Julia Burns (Sr. • Verona) crushed a three-run homer before Kelley Koebler (Sr. • Janesville) posted a two-run single. Run-scoring singles also came from Tess Fadness (So. • Eau Claire) and Emily Miskoski (Fr. • Stevens Point) to go ahead, 8-3.

Wartburg roared back with a five-run fourth inning. The Knights (6-19) touched home on four different singles, including one by Katie Canney that tied the score at 8. Courtney Wautier (Jr. • Brussels) finally turned a double play to get out of the inning.

In its next at-bat, UW-Oshkosh scored four times on two-run singles by Kassie Krueger (So. • Plover) and Emily Mallek (Fr. • Plover). The lead increased with a Fadness solo homer during the fifth and three more runs during the sixth frame.

Wautier, who struck out four, earned the victory with 2.2 innings of shutout ball. Julie Sweeney (Fr. • Arlington Heights, Ill.) contributed 2.2 innings while allowing one earned run, after Demi Kastein (So. • Waupun) surrendered two runs in the opening frame.

Tori Herzberg (loss) was charged with six earned runs on 15 hits over 3.2 innings. Janelle Schneiderman got the final six outs with four runs allowed.

Augustana (14-5) used a splendid pitching performance from Sarah Hintz to defeat the Titans in game two. Hintz threw all seven innings and allowed one unearned run on five hits.

The Titans' had the bases loaded during the second frame but grounded out. They used a Viking error in the fifth frame to record their lone tally. With two down, Fadness knocked a single to right field that tied the score, 1-1.

In the third inning, Augustana struck with a solo shot by Jillian Gibbs. The Vikings went in front on a fifth-frame error and made it 3-1 on Laura Behnke's sixth-inning single.

Wautier (loss) started the contest and went 5.2 innings, yielding one earned run on six hits. Gibbs accounted for two of the Vikings' eight hits.

For the day, Burns totaled five hits, three runs scored and four RBI. The Titans also received four hits and two RBI from Koebler.

UW-Oshkosh finally plays in Wisconsin when it visits St. Norbert College on Wednesday (April 4) in De Pere.