Softball dominates Warhawks and Red Hawks
Titans plate 36 runs and allow only eight through a four-game stretch
Smaney connects at the plate during doubleheader against the Red Hawks.
April 18, 2019
The UW Oshkosh softball team swept doubleheaders against UW-Stout and Ripon College last week, advancing their overall record to 15-11.
With the wins, UWO extended their streak of errorless games to six and moved to fourth place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings.
Ripon College
UWO totaled 27 hits and 21 runs in back-to-back, five-inning victories over Ripon College on Tuesday at home.
In game one, the Titans dominated the Red Hawks 11-0 after obtaining an early five-run lead in the first inning.
While the second inning remained scoreless, UWO rallied for four more runs-batted-in in the third and two in the fourth to cap off their largest home victory of the season.
In the nightcap, the Titans rallied for another dominant opening inning as UWO batted in six runners while holding Ripon College scoreless through the first two frames
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The Red Hawks got on the board after freshman outfielder Emyli Kreiser hammered one home in left field and junior outfielder Julia Sanchez was batted in off of a sacrifice fly in the top of the third.
UWO held Ripon College to zero runs scored the remainder of the game while tallying four runs-in in the fourth to secure their 10-2 victory over the Red Hawks.
Junior pitcher Claire Petrus said the Titans’ offense was what really ensured such dominant wins over Ripon.
“We came out hitting that game and never stopped,” Petrus said. “We knew that our defense was going to field every ball and make plays, so all we had to do were get our bats going and we did just that.”
Senior pitcher Bailey Smaney winds up for a pitch. Smaney who has won each of her last eight decisions, increased her WIAC-leading victory total after throwing a five-hitter in the opening game versus Ripon College.
UW-Stout
The Titans dethroned the Blue Devils from atop the WIAC standings after claiming a doubleheader sweep on Saturday in Whitewater.
Senior catcher Abby Menting had five runs batted in, and junior outfielder Acacia Tupa drove in four runs in the matchup to help garner a 5-3 win in game one and a 10-3 victory in game two.
The Blue Devils got out to an early lead with two runs-in in the opening frame, but the Titans rallied for a 5-1 the remainder of the frames to clinch game one.
UWO continued their late-game momentum into the nightcap as the Titans outscored the Blue Devils 8-1 through the first six frames.
In the seventh, UWO tallied on two more while UW-Stout’s last-minute attempt at redemption fell short as the Blue Devils batted in only two runs to close the game.
Head coach Scott Beyer said the pair of wins over the Blue Devils was a good spark for the Titans.
“We played our best softball of the season against Stout,” Beyer said. “Our pitchers hit their spots well.We played great defense and had timely hitting. We played great in all facets of the game. Every year you try to peak at the right time, not too early, not too late. I think we are ascending at the right time and will continue to work hard with executing the little things, trust the process and let the outcome take care of itself.”
UWO is off until their next doubleheader against UW-Platteville on Friday at home.
With the Titans riding on a five-game win streak, senior pitcher Bailey Smaney says it’s all about focusing on the details moving into the latter of the season.
“At this point in the season we just want to continue playing our game,” Smaney said. “This streak we have going is giving us some confidence headed into our toughest two weeks of the season. We play a lot of games, and [we’re] hoping to stay hot especially at the plate.”
