Titans Clinch At Least A Share Of WIAC Title

UW-Oshkosh is the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season softball champion for the fourth time and first since 2007.

UW-Oshkosh (20-10, 10-4 WIAC) clinched at least a share of the league title by virtue of a doubleheader split at UW-La Crosse on Friday (May 7). The Titans downed UW-La Crosse, 3-0, behind a four-hitter by Maddie Fink in the opener before falling, 6-0, in the nightcap.

With the victory in the first game, the Titans moved a game ahead of UW-Whitewater (24-8, 8-4 WIAC) in the league standings. UW-Oshkosh owns the tiebreaker against second-place UW-Whitewater, which concludes its regular season schedule Saturday (May 8), due to sweeping a pair of league games over the Warhawks on April 15. The Titans will be the top seed at the eight-team WIAC tournament that begins Tuesday (May 11).

UW-Oshkosh won previous WIAC regular season titles in 1984, 1985 and 2007. The Titans can secure the 2021 championship outright with a UW-Whitewater loss at UW-River Falls on Saturday during the final conference doubleheader of the season.

The Titans open the 2021 WIAC Championship against eighth-seeded UW-Stout at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.

UW-Oshkosh, which entered the day with a WIAC-leading .342 batting average, collected 15 hits Friday, including 10 during the opener. Hannah Ritter, batting a league-best .500 on the year, went a combined 3-for-7 at the plate to pace the Titans.

In Friday's first game, Fink and UW-La Crosse starting pitcher Maddie Muelken were locked in a scoreless pitcher's duel until the Titans broke through with a run in the top of the fifth inning.

Amanda Mc Ilhany sparked the UW-Oshkosh rally, drilling a one-out double to right field. Mc Ilhany advanced to third base on a wild pitch and, after a groundout for the second out, Ana Iliopoulos delivered a sharp single to left field that plated Mc Ilhany with the only run Fink would need.

Fink, who tossed her WIAC-best third shutout of the season, did not allow a baserunner past second base the entire game. Fink stranded a runner at second base by notching a strikeout to end the home half of the third frame and again left a runner on second during the fourth inning after inducing an infield popup.

UW-La Crosse (14-13, 8-6 WIAC) had another runner at second base with one out in the fifth inning, but Titans outfielders Acacia Tupa in center and Gabby Buikema in left turned in spectacular catches to preserve UW-Oshkosh's 1-0 lead.

The UW-Oshkosh defense, ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III with a .977 fielding percentage entering the day, then turned an inning-ending double play – shortstop Natalie Dudek to Mc Ilhany at second base to Morgan Rau at first – during the bottom of the sixth frame. The double play was UW-Oshkosh's 10th of the year.

The Titans, who reached 20 wins for the 17th consecutive full season, provided Fink with a pair of insurance run in the top of the seventh inning as Mc Ilhany led off with a single, went to second base on Emily Cliver's sacrifice bunt and came around to score on a throwing error. Ritter later drove in Tupa with a two-out RBI single.

With at least a share of the conference championship in the balance, Fink retired the Eagles in order, setting off a celebration that has awaited the program since 2007 following a groundball to Mc Ilhany that ended the contest.

Fink (13-3), the WIAC leader with 10 complete games in 13 starts this year, held UW-La Crosse to four singles and a pair of walks while striking out four.

Buikema, Mc Ilhany and Ritter each accounted for two of the Titans' 10 hits.

Muelken (7-7) suffered the loss for UW-La Crosse, allowing one run on eight hits with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

During the nightcap UW-La Crosse scored an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning and took control with a five-run sixth frame.

Sydne Shattuck went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in for UW-La Crosse while Mia Schmidtke added three RBIs.

Ritter, Tupa, Natalie Dillon, Kate Fontanetta and Zoe Malone produced hits for the Titans.

Shattuck (6-2) picked up the win in the Eagles pitcher's circle, holding UW-Oshkosh to five hits and one walk with three strikeouts in a complete game effort.

UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Claire Petrus (3-3), who ran her consecutive scoreless streak to 11 innings before yielding the unearned run in the second inning, was charged with the loss. Petrus surrendered six runs (four earned) on nine hits in 5.1 innings. She struck out two without issuing a walk.

UW-Oshkosh has now won seven of its past 10 meetings with UW-La Crosse.