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Acacia Tupa went 3-for-7 at the plate against the Pointers with her 11th career home run, three runs scored and three runs batted in.
Acacia Tupa went 3-for-7 at the plate against the Pointers with her 11th career home run, three runs scored and three runs batted in.

Titans Win Opener, Lose Nightcap Against Pointers

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Acacia Tupa led off the opener with a home run as the UW-Oshkosh softball team held on to win after building a large early lead at UW-Stevens Point before dropping the nightcap and settling for a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader split Thursday (April 22).

UW-Oshkosh (14-6, 6-2 WIAC) outlasted the Pointers, 8-7, in the first game of the day. UW-Stevens Point (16-11, 3-5 WIAC) then bounced back with a 12-4, six-inning victory during the second contest. The Titans, who have won 25 of the last 29 meetings with UW-Stevens Point, are now tied for first in the league standings while the Pointers move into a tie for sixth with six conference games remaining.

Tupa finished Thursday 3-for-7 at the plate with her first home run of the season and 11th career, three runs scored and three runs batted in. Amanda Mc Ilhany accounted for four of UW-Oshkosh's 19 total hits while Emily Cliver and Hannah Ritter added three apiece.

In the first game of the day, UW-Oshkosh exploded for six runs on seven hits during the opening inning and extended its lead to 8-0 in the top of the second frame.

After Tupa homered to right field, Gabby Buikema was hit by a pitch, Ritter and Kailee Garstecki hit back-to-back singles, and Natalie Dudek dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Ana Iliopoulos then doubled, Cliver singled, McIlhany walked, Natalie Dillon singled and Tupa drove in her third run of the inning with a two-RBI single for a 6-0 advantage.

UW-Oshkosh increased its lead to 8-0 following an RBI double from Cliver and a run-scoring single by Mc Ilhany in the second inning.

UW-Stevens Point cut its deficit to 8-6 with a run in the second inning and five more during the fifth frame. The Pointers began the home half of the seventh inning with a pair of singles against UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Maddie Fink, but reliever Mia Crotty retired each of the three batters she faced on the infield to limit UW-Stevens Point to one run in the frame and preserve the one-run victory with the tying run at third base.

Fink (8-2) was credited with the win after pitching six-plus innings and allowing seven runs on 11 hits with three walks and one strikeout.

Crotty notched her first collegiate save after tossing a perfect seventh inning.

Tupa ended the opener 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Cliver and Dillon also added two of the Titans' 10 hits.

UW-Stevens Point starting pitcher MacKenzie Honish (2-2) suffered the loss, surrendering six runs on seven hits and one walk in one inning.

Rachael Wakefield homered and drove in three runs for the Pointers, who received two of their 11 hits from Sammy Buerger, Megan Lawrence and Sara Traxel.

During the second contest, UW-Oshkosh took a 2-0 lead in the second inning and tied the score at 3 during the top of the third frame, but the Pointers reclaimed the lead for good at 5-3 with a two-run bottom of the third inning en route to scoring in each of their final five frames.

Mc Ilhany, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles in the nightcap, provided UW-Oshkosh a 2-0 advantage with a two-out, two-run double in the second inning. Ritter pulled the Titans even at 3 in the third frame on a two-out single that plated Tupa. Cliver delivered UW-Oshkosh's final RBI with a sacrifice fly during the fifth inning that once again brought home Tupa and cut the deficit to 6-4.

UW-Stevens Point put the game away with a five-run home half of the fifth inning that featured just three hits as the Pointers drew four walks in the frame and eight in the game overall.

Crotty (4-3), the Titans starting pitcher, took the loss after giving up seven runs (five earned) on seven hits across the first five innings. She walked four and struck out three.

Ritter chipped in a pair of the Titans' nine hits.

Makenna Tkach (10-4), the WIAC leader in wins and strikeouts, earned the victory, yielding three runs on eight hits in five total innings across two appearances in the pitcher's circle. Tkach struck out three without issuing a walk.

Buerger and Becca Geiyer both had two hits to pace the Pointers.

UW-Oshkosh remains on the road for a WIAC doubleheader at UW-River Falls on Friday (April 23).