Titans Begin WIAC Circuit With Sweep Of Blue Devils
Sophie Wery produced the game-winning hit in both games and drove in six runs on the day as the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh softball team swept a doubleheader against UW-Stout to open the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule Saturday (April 9) at UW-Oshkosh Rec Plex Field.
UW-Oshkosh (16-4, 2-0 WIAC), ranked 15th in the NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, came from behind in both contests to down UW-Stout by scores of 8-6 in the league opener and 5-3 during the nightcap. The Titans, the defending WIAC regular season co-champions and league postseason winner, have now won each of their past 11 meetings with the Blue Devils and 17 of the last 18 in the series.
Wery hit a three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning of the first game to turn a 6-5 deficit into an 8-6 lead. Wery's three-run homer in the first inning of the nightcap – her second longball this season – provided the Titans the lead for good at 4-2. Wery, who has driven in 13 runs during the past four games, extended her team lead to 24 RBIs this season.
UW-Stout (10-12, 0-2 WIAC), which suffered a 4-3, 10-inning setback against UW-Oshkosh in the first round of last year's league tournament, is still seeking its first league win since April 28, 2019. The Blue Devils went 0-14 in WIAC play a year ago after the 2020 league schedule was canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
UW-Oshkosh's Hannah Ritter had a hit and a pair of walks during the WIAC opener and added two more hits in the second contest to extend her on-base streak to 51 consecutive games. Ritter, a 2021 NFCA Third Team All-American, is now hitting a WIAC-best .524 on the year.
The Titans, who entered the day pacing the conference with a .395 on-base percentage, had 19 total hits and three walks Saturday. UW-Oshkosh has won 12 of its last 13 games since March 6.
Brianna Davis and Abby Garceau both went 4-for-8 for the Titans in Saturday's doubleheader. Davis and Garceau are batting .500 and .483, respectively, this year.
In the first game of the day, UW-Stout scored six runs in the top of the fourth inning to claim a 6-1 lead. However, UW-Oshkosh answered with four runs of its own during the home half of the fourth frame before Wery hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth to reclaim the lead for good.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Maddie Fink, the reigning WIAC pitcher of the Year, and UW-Stout's Anna Blanford were locked in a scoreless duel until Davis singled with one out in the third inning, stole second base and came in to score on Grace Stevens' two-out single.
UW-Stout's six-run fourth frame featured RBI singles from Kayli Pfeffer and Maggie O'Brien, and a Shannon Jones two-run single that ended Fink's outing.
Sydney Nemetz relieved Fink and held the Blue Devils to just one hit and three walks, pitching the final 3.1 innings in scoreless fashion with six strikeouts to earn the victory.
UW-Oshkosh began its comeback with four runs on four hits during the bottom of the fourth inning. Garceau singled home Ana Iliopoulos to pull the Titans within 6-2. Davis followed with a triple that plated both Zoe Malone and Garceau, and Ritter cut the UW-Oshkosh deficit to 6-5 with a single to bring home Davis.
Garceau reached on a fielder's choice in the Titans' decisive three-run sixth inning. Garceau advanced to third base with one out after a pair of wild pitches. Davis then hit a grounder to third base and Garceau was able to scramble back safely to third following a rundown while Davis ran to second base to put a pair of runners in scoring position for Ritter. The Blue Devils elected to walk Ritter intentionally to load the bases for Wery, who laced a go-ahead three-run double to left-center.
Nemetz, who improved to 6-0 on the season, struck out the first batter she faced to stem the UW-Stout rally in the fourth inning. She then pitched around a leadoff walk in the fifth frame by striking out the next three batters, worked around a pair of one-out walks during the sixth inning and faced the tying run at the plate with one out in the seventh following a single. After allowing her lone hit of the afternoon, Nemetz struck out the final two batters to preserve the win and lower her earned run average to a team-best 2.13.
Davis had two of UW-Oshkosh's eight hits. Jones and Lexy Kupczak both accounted for two of UW-Stout's seven hits.
Blue Devils relief pitcher Mack Woltersdorff (3-5) took the loss, yielding three runs on two hits and two walks in two innings.
During the nightcap UW-Stout jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Kupczak's two-out, two-run homer down the left field line in the top of the first inning against Titans starting pitcher Mia Crotty. The home run was Crotty's first extra-base hit allowed this season, snapping a string of 24 consecutive innings without surrendering a double, triple or home run. Crotty went into the day as the only WIAC pitcher yet to give up more than a single.
The Titans responded quickly in the second contest as Garceau, Davis and Ritter hit three straight singles to cut their deficit to 2-1. Wery then blasted a three-run homer to left-center field to provide UW-Oshkosh a 4-2 advantage it would not relinquish with no outs in the home half of the first frame.
Crotty went on to scatter 10 hits and one walk while striking out eight en route to her second complete game this season. Crotty, making her first start since March 25, improved to 4-1 on the year.
UW-Oshkosh tacked on an insurance run in the fourth inning as Ritter drove in Gabby Buikema, who was hit by a pitch to open the frame.
UW-Stout pulled within 5-3 following a Kupczak sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning and brought the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs, but Crotty notched her eighth strikeout to conclude the contest.
Garceau went 3-for-4 to lead the Titans, who also received two of their 11 hits from Davis, Ritter and Wery.
Jones and Kayli Pfeffer both had three hits for the Blue Devils. UW-Stout's Korin Hall added two hits, scored twice and stole a base after heading into Saturday with a WIAC-leading with 13 stolen bases.
UW-Stout starting pitcher Madee Kleinschmidt (2-6) was charged with the loss, ceding five runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts in five innings.
UW-Oshkosh remains at home to host UW-River Falls for a WIAC doubleheader Sunday (April 10).