The UW Oshkosh baseball team split four games over the weekend with wins over both Webster University (Missouri) and North Park University (Illinois) on March 2 and 3 and losses in their rematch against both on March 3 and 4.
The weekend started for the Titans with a matchup versus Webster with pitcher LJ Waco getting the start on the mound.
The Titans would start out hot in the second inning with Carter Stebane hitting an RBI triple, scoring Mason Kirchberg from first base. The following at-bat, Brenden Max would belt the Titans’ first home run of the season over the center field wall to extend their lead to 3-0.
After scoring one run in both the third and fourth innings pushing their lead to 5-0, Max would continue his big day in the fifth inning with a two-RBI single to extend the Titans lead to a commanding 7-0. The Titans would score one run again in the sixth inning.
Webster would finally get their first run on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when Webster’s James Theodore hit a lead-off triple then scored off an error from UWO’s Kirchberg in the next at-bat. The Titans would respond to the trouble quickly by forcing a double play in the next at-bat, followed by Waco striking the next batter out, fourth strikeout of the game.
The Titans would cap off their explosive day at the plate in the seventh inning. Max would strike once again with an RBI single, making him 4-for-4 on the day with five RBIs. Oshkosh’s Owen Housinger would tally an RBI on a fielder’s choice, scoring Stebane from third. Max would close the scoring for the inning by crossing home plate off a balk, extending UWO’s lead to 11-1.
Waco would pitch a scoreless seventh inning and the game would be called with the Titans holding a 10-run lead. Waco finished with a seven-inning complete game with six hits allowed, one earned run, four strikeouts and no walks.
The Titans would take the field again on Saturday versus North Park, where Conor Brinkman made his second start of the season following a rough first outing. The scoring would start right away for the Titans with Zach Taylor hitting a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Jake Surane from third. Later in the inning, Braydon Skenandore hit an RBI single to center field, scoring Mason Kirchberg from second base following his double in the previous at-bat, giving the Titans a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
The Titans would find an insurance run in the third inning when Jack McNamara had an RBI fielder’s choice that brought Surane across the plate for the second time in the game, extending the lead to 3-0.
The rest of the game was highlighted by a Brinkman’s bounceback performance. Brinkman would pitch eight innings giving up zero runs, allowing three hits, walking two batters and striking out nine. Josh Jansen would come in the game in the ninth inning and secure his first save of the season, capping the Titans 3-0 victory.
The Titans would continue play on Saturday with a second game against Webster. This time around, the script was flipped.
Webster would jump on Titans starter Connor Walters with three runs in the first inning one of which came in on an error and another off a passed ball. Webster would score on a sacrifice fly in the second inning to push their lead to 4-0.
The Titans would respond with a big third inning that included RBI singles by both Surane and Taylor. Housinger would ground into a double-play in the fourth inning while also driving home a run, cutting the Webster lead to 4-3.
However, that is all the Titans would respond with as Webster would score three more runs off Walters in the bottom of the fourth inning, and Webster would score an insurance run in the seventh inning by successfully stealing home plate.
The Titans would lose by a score of 8-3. Walter finished the game with four innings pitched, seven runs with five being earned, two strikeouts and no walks.
The Titans final game of the weekend took place on Sunday where they took on North Park for the second time.
Jansen would get the start for the Titans. This was Jansen’s second appearance of the season after getting the save versus North Park the day prior.
Jansen’s day on the mound would end shortly after quickly recording an out and then walking two batters in a row, hitting the next batter, then walking home a run. Brett Gaynor would then come in to replace Jansen after only facing the first five batters of the contest.
Gaynor would be able to hold North Park to only one additional run that inning, giving North Park a 2-0 lead.
No runs would be scored until UWO put up two runs in the fourth inning to knot the game up at 2-2 with RBIs from Taylor and Kirchberg.
The rest of the game would end up being controlled by North Park as they would build an 8-2 lead heading into the eighth inning. The Titans would show some fight in the top of the eighth inning, cutting the lead to 8-5 after RBIs from McNamara, Taylor and Kirchberg. North Park would erase the Titans attempt at a comeback by scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, extending their lead to 12-5, ultimately the final score. The Titans now hold a record of 3-2
The Titans will head to the Russmatt Baseball Invitational in Auburndale, Florida where they will play four games against Saint Mary’s College (Minnesota), Mitchell College (Connecticut), Buena Vista University (Iowa) and Salve Regina University (Rhode Island) March 7-10 at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.
