Titans Advance To WIAC Championship Final
UW-Oshkosh reached the championship game of the WIAC Softball Championship by splitting a pair of games Saturday (May 5) in Whitewater.
UW-Oshkosh (25-11), seeded second at the WIAC Championship, suffered a 6-5 setback in eight innings to top-seeded UW-Whitewater in the first game of the day. The Titans then remained alive at the double-elimination tournament with a 7-1 victory over third-seeded UW-Stout.
The Titans and UW-Whitewater will meet once again in Sunday's WIAC Championship title game. The fourth meeting between the teams in less than two weeks is set for 10 a.m. at UW-Whitewater's van Steederen Softball Complex.
The winner of the WIAC Championship earns the league's automatic berth to the 62-team NCAA Division III Championship that commences May 10. UW-Oshkosh must beat UW-Whitewater twice Sunday to claim its second league postseason title and first since 2008. The Warhawks need just one win to clinch their sixth consecutive conference postseason championship.
During the win over UW-Stout (23-12), Blue Devils starting pitcher Sommer Kunstmann was perfect through three innings and did not surrender a hit until the sixth frame. However, UW-Oshkosh stormed back to take the lead with a four-run sixth inning before adding three insurance runs in the seventh frame.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Bailey Smaney lost her no-hit bid with two outs in the fourth inning, when UW-Stout's Kaylee Francois and Jessica Daley hit consecutive singles for a 1-0 advantage.
Kailee Garstecki sparked the Titan comeback with a pinch-hit single to lead off the sixth inning. Garstecki, who hit a walk-off home run in the first meeting between the teams this season, advanced to third base on a one-out single from Acacia Tupa. Tupa then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position for Brianna Witter, whose squeeze bunt allowed both Garstecki and Tupa to score as Kunstmann's toss to the plate to nab a sliding Garstecki went to the backstop.
Abby Menting then launched a two-run homer well beyond the center field wall for a 4-1 UW-Oshkosh lead.
After Smaney pitched around a two-out double in the home half of the sixth inning, Erika Berry hit a three-run homer to center field with no outs in the top of the seventh.
The home runs were the second of the season for both Berry and Menting.
Smaney (10-2) earned her seventh complete-game victory of the year after giving up just one run on four hits in seven innings pitched. Smaney, who recorded 16 of her 21 out on the infield, walked two and struck out three.
Daley accounted for two of the Blue Devils' four hits while eight different Titans collected one hit each.
Kuntsmann (5-4) was charged with the loss, yielding four runs on three hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
UW-Oshkosh won each of its four meetings with UW-Stout this season – all within the past six days. The Titans also downed the Blue Devils, 9-3, in the first round of the WIAC Championship on Friday (May 4) and swept a doubleheader by scores of 3-1 and 11-4 on April 30 in Oshkosh. UW-Stout eliminated the Titans at last year's WIAC Championship.
In Saturday's loss to UW-Whitewater, the Titans held leads of 3-0 in the second inning and 5-3 during the sixth frame, but the Warhawks tied the score with a two-run home half of the sixth inning and prevailed on a bases-loaded walk in the eighth.
All six of UW-Whitewater's runs were unearned as the Titans outhit the Warhawks, 8-5, but committed five costly errors.
Tupa gave UW-Oshkosh a 3-0 advantage with a two-out, three-run homer in the second inning. Tupa's home run into the wind in left-center field was her team-leading fourth of the season. She concluded the game with two hits, four runs batted in and a stolen base.
Smaney, the Titans starting pitcher, allowed two baserunners through three innings and surrendered her first hit with one out in the fourth frame. UW-Whitewater's Emily Rux and Meg Cohrs hit consecutive singles in the fourth inning. Following a walk that loaded the bases with two outs, Warhawks pinch-hitter Michelle Birkholz lifted a fly ball to Titans left fielder Natalie Dillon, whose subsequent drop allowed three runs to score.
The Titans reclaimed a 5-3 advantage with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning despite hitting just two balls out of the infield. Witter led off with a single to right field. Dillon then reached on an error by Warhawks relief pitcher Julia Camardo before Berry placed a perfect bunt to a vacated area on the left side of the infield, allowing Witter to score the go-ahead run all the way from second base. Amanda McIlhany singled to load the bases for Tupa, who lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Dillon.
UW-Whitewater (24-11-1) answered with two runs on two hits and one error in the bottom of the sixth inning as Titans first baseman Kaitlyn Krol couldn't handle a grounder off the bat of Kelly Berglund with two outs and runners at second and third bases.
After UW-Oshkosh stranded three total runners, including two in scoring position, over the seventh and eighth innings, the Warhawks scored the winning run without the aid of a hit. Kaiden Jackson reached on a fielding error by Berry at third base and advanced to second base following a sacrifice bunt. Nikki Mikosz walked on four pitches, and an error by Titans shortstop Natalie Dudek loaded the bases with one out. Caitlin Catino then capped a seven-pitch at-bat by drawing a walk on a pitch just high from Titans relief pitcher Claire Petrus.
Molly Ethington went 2-for-2 with a walk to lead the Warhawks. Jackson had a hit, a walk and scored three runs.
Camardo (12-5) earned the win after yielding two runs (one earned) on five hits in 3.2 innings pitched. She walked one and struck out one.
McIlhany doubled among her three hits for the Titans, who also received two hits from Witter.
Petrus (13-8) suffered the loss, surrendering three runs (zero earned) on three hits in 3.2 innings while notching three strikeouts and issuing three walks.
UW-Whitewater, which improved to 10-0 at home this season, swept a doubleheader over UW-Oshkosh with a pair of walk-off wins on April 22. The Warhawks, who have won 21 of their last 25 meetings with the Titans, own a 13-2 record against UW-Oshkosh at the WIAC Championship.
Photo by Ricky Nelson