Titans, Pioneers Split Doubleheader
UW-Oshkosh's Claire Petrus earned the win with four shutout innings in the pitcher's circle and drove in two runs at the plate during the opener as the Titans split a nonconference softball doubleheader at UW-Platteville on Tuesday (April 6).
UW-Oshkosh (8-4) produced its third shutout of the year with a 4-0 victory in the first game of the day before UW-Platteville (5-5) erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning to stun the Titans, 10-5, during the nightcap.
Kailee Garstecki had a pair of two-hit games for the Titans, who also received three hits on the day from Hannah Ritter.
In Tuesday's first game, UW-Oshkosh scored the only run it needed on a groundout by Morgan Rau that plated Garstecki in the top of the second inning. Garstecki's grounder scored Katie Fontanetta for a 2-0 Titan advantage in the fifth frame, and Petrus delivered a two-out, pinch-hit double later in the inning that brought home both Natalie Dudek and Mia Crotty for a 4-0 advantage. Each of the Titans' three fifth-inning runs were unearned due to two UW-Platteville errors.
Petrus and Titans relief pitcher Maddie Fink made the lead hold up, combining to scatter seven hits and strand 10 UW-Platteville baserunners.
Petrus (1-0), making her first start of the season, tossed four scoreless innings on four hits and one walk with one strikeout. Fink then picked up the team's first save of the year, limiting the Pioneers to just three hits across the final three frames. Fink, who lowered her WIAC-leading earned run average to 0.95 on the year, struck out four without issuing a walk during her first relief appearance of the season.
Garstecki and Natalie Dillon had two of UW-Oshkosh's 10 hits.
Pioneers starting pitcher Ashton Hoeppner (3-2) suffered the loss despite yielding just one run on four hits in four innings. She walked one and struck out four.
Abby Burns went 2-for-4 to pace UW-Platteville.
In the second contest of the day, UW-Oshkosh jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Gabby Buikema's run-scoring single in the first inning and Ritter's RBI double during the second frame. The Titans later took a 3-1 advantage on a Garstecki single that scored Amanda Mc Ilhany in the fifth inning, and once again reclaimed a two-run advantage at 4-2 after Mc Ilhany's single that plated Emily Cliver during the top of the sixth frame.
UW-Platteville responded with eight runs – all after two outs – on eight hits during the home half of the sixth inning. The Pioneers tied the score at 4 on a wild pitch that allowed Shannon Gaul to score and claimed their first and only lead on Burns' RBI single. Eight straight UW-Platteville batters reached base after two were out in the decisive frame.
Burns collected three of the Pioneers' 14 hits while Riley Kelsch, Angela Laabs and Rachel Plautz added two hits apiece.
Pioneers relief pitcher Claire Bakkestuen (1-2) picked up the win, ceding two runs on five hits with one strikeout in two innings.
UW-Oshkosh relief pitcher Sidney Budzinski (0-1) was charged with the loss, yielding four runs on four hits and one walk in 1.2 innings.
Crotty, the Titans starting pitcher, did not factor in the decision after holding the Pioneers to one run on five hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 4.1 total innings across two stints in the pitcher's circle.
Ritter went 3-for-4 for the Titans. Garstecki contributed two of UW-Oshkosh's nine hits.
The Titans have won 13 of their past 16 meetings with UW-Platteville. UW-Oshkosh and the Pioneers have split each of their last three doubleheaders.
UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville play another doubleheader Thursday (April 8) that will mark the conference opener for both teams and the first Titan home games since April 26, 2019.
Photo courtesy of Andrew McNeill, UW-Platteville