Titans Conclude Florida Trip With 5-1 Record
Grace Stevens drove in a career-high four runs during the opener as the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh softball team split a pair of games to conclude its trip to Florida on Friday (March 25) in Clermont.
UW-Oshkosh (10-4), ranked 18th the NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, overcame an early deficit on the way to beating Bowdoin College (Maine), 9-7, before falling to 10th-ranked Tufts University (Mass.), 8-1. Bowdoin College (5-6) and Tufts University (7-3) are members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.
The Titans, who had their six-game winning streak come to an end, went 5-1 in Sunshine State after falling to Tufts University in a rematch of an elimination game at the 2021 Division III World Series. UW-Oshkosh earned its first World Series victory with a 7-1 triumph over Tufts University last season in Salem, Va.
In Friday's first contest, Bowdoin College scored four unearned runs in the top of the first inning and maintained an advantage until Stevens delivered a two-out, two-run double that plated Abby Garceau and Hannah Ritter for a 6-5 lead.
The Polar Bears knotted the score at 6 during the fifth frame, but the Titans reclaimed the lead for good after a Sophie Wery double that went to the left-center field wall and allowed Sydney Rau to cross the plate for a 7-6 advantage in the home half of the fifth inning. Ana Iliopoulos followed with a single to drive in Wery for what proved to be the game-winning run.
Bowdoin College pulled within 8-7 with a run during the top of the sixth inning. However, Stevens collected her fourth RBI of the game in the home of the frame with a single down the right field line to plate Garceau.
Titans relief pitcher Sydney Nemetz (3-0) picked up the win, allowing six runs (three earned) on nine hits in 5.2 innings. Nemetz, who did not issue a walk, matched a season best with seven strikeouts.
UW-Oshkosh's Maddie Fink earned her first save of the season and fourth career after pitching a perfect seventh inning with one strikeout.
Garceau went 3-for-3 for the Titans with a walk and three runs scored. Stevens had a pair of UW-Oshkosh's nine hits en route to surpassing her previous career high of two RBIs. Wery doubled and scored twice.
Ritter, a 2021 NFCA Third Team All-American, extended her hitting streak to 17 games and reached base safely for the 44th consecutive contest. Ritter's 17-game hitting streak is the third longest in program history.
Bowdoin College's four-run first inning featured a three-run homer by Angelina Mayers. The Polar Bears later owned a 5-2 lead after the top of the second frame. Mayers' home run was Bowdoin College's first this year.
The Titans began their comeback with run-scoring groundouts from Stevens, Morgan Rau and Brianna Davis to cut their deficit to 5-3 after two innings. Ritter then pulled the Titans within 5-4 with a sharp single up the middle to score Iliopoulos and bring Stevens to the plate with two baserunners aboard and two outs in the bottom of the second inning.
Lilly Armstrong accounted for two of the Polar Bears' nine hits, which included a pair of doubles, one triple and Mayers' home run.
Bowdoin College relief pitcher Anna Halliday suffered the loss, yielding three runs on six hits with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Polar Bears starting pitcher Abby Allen did not factor in the decision despite ceding six runs on three hits and five walks across the first 1.2 frames.
During the setback to Tufts University, the Jumbos scored twice in both of the first two innings, added three more in the fourth frame and one during the sixth.
The Jumbos outhit UW-Oshkosh, 12-2, as Tufts University starting pitcher Sky Johnson did not allow a hit until Wery singled to lead off the top of the fifth inning. Morgan Rau then drove in Wery with a single to break up Johnson's shutout bid and pull the Titans within 7-1.
Meggie Murphy went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to pace Tufts University while Lindsay Neumann, Josie Steinberg and Keila McCabe added two hits apiece for the Jumbos. Neumann's two-run double during the home half of the second inning represented the game's lone extra-base hit and upped the Jumbos cushion to 4-0.
Johnson, who improved her record to 4-1 on the year for Tufts University, struck out nine and did not walk a batter.
Fink (4-3) was charged with the loss, surrendering seven runs (four earned) and collecting three strikeouts over the first four innings. Mia Crotty, who started in the UW-Oshkosh pitcher's circle against Bowdoin College, limited the Jumbos to one unearned run on one hit and zero walks with one strikeout during the final two frames in relief of Fink.
UW-Oshkosh returns home to host Carroll University for a doubleheader Wednesday (March 30) at UW-Oshkosh Softball Park.
Photo by Lisa Cliver