Titans Leave Florida With Win Over Ducks

Paige Giese pitched five effective innings and Tanya Hammitt drove in a pair of runs to lead the UW-Oshkosh softball team to a 5-1 win over Stevens Institute of Technology (N.J.) on Friday (March 25) in Clermont, Fla.

UW-Oshkosh (8-4) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and tacked on three insurance runs in the sixth as the Titans concluded their seven-day Florida trip with a 5-3 mark.

Giese allowed four hits and one walk to improve her season record to 3-1, while Hammitt, making her first start of the season, collected her first RBIs of the year.

Lauren Torborg recorded two of the Titans' four hits, while Sara Brunlieb pitched two perfect innings to earn her second save of the season.

Stevens Institute of Technology (8-3) had a runner at third base with two outs in the top of the second inning, but Giese induced a fly out to end the threat.

Torborg singled to lead off the home half of the second inning and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Caitlin Hoerning. Following a walk by Kaitlyn Krol, Giese laced a double to score Torborg, and Hammitt drove in Krol with the eventual winning run on a ground ball.

The Ducks cut their deficit to 2-1 on a run-scoring double by Corinne Loncar with two outs in the third inning. Stevens Institute of Technology had only had one runner reach second base after the third frame.

UW-Oshkosh loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning, and Giese drove in one run on a ground ball, Hammitt followed with a run-scoring single and Haley Bayreuther capped the scoring with another run-scoring grounder.

Loncar had two of the Ducks' season-low four hits. Stevens Institute of Technology, which scored its fewest runs of the year, went into the game with a .322 batting average.

Christine LaRochelle took the complete-game loss for the Ducks. She allowed just two earned runs on four hits while striking out two and walking four.

UW-Oshkosh's scheduled game against Williams College (Mass.) on Friday was canceled due to rain.

The Titans conduct their home opener when it hosts Luther College (Iowa) for a doubleheader on April 2 at the UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.