Pioneers Drop a Pair to Titans

OSHKOSH, Wis. --  You couldn't blame the University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team if they felt like they were playing two opponents this weekend.  The on the field opponent, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh took advantage of some defensive miscues to sweep a doubleheader of the Pioneers; 6-4 and 12-2.  With the wins, UWO moved to 18-10 overall and 13-10 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  The games were played in Oshkosh thanks to Platteville's other opponent:  Mother Nature.  A familiar foe this spring, Wisconsin weather dumped enough rain in Platteville on Friday to render the Kendall Murray Field unplayable for scheduled doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, arguably the two nicest weather days of the spring thus far.

Instead, Saturday's games were cancelled and out of necessity to get games in this late in the conference schedule, Sunday's doubleheader shifted to Oshkosh.  No announcement has been made for when the two teams will make-up Saturday's postponed twinbill.

The Pioneers fell to 10-13 overall and 8-8 in the WIAC.  Platteville will return to the field on Tuesday, April 26th, when they travel to UW-Eau Claire for a doubleheader against the Blugolds.  Gametimes are slated for 1p and 4p.  The games are a make-up for a doubleheader that was washed out back on April 15th.

Game 1:  UW-Oshkosh 6, PIONEERS 4

Platteville got on the board right away in the first inning when Jonny Kelso (Sr./Villa Park, Ill.) reached on a fielder's choice, promptly stole second, and came around to score on a Wyatt Molitor (Jr./Reedsburg, Wis.) RBI single.  

The score remained 1-0 through the third inning.  After working three scoreless frames including three strikeouts, starter Isaac Bixby (Fr./Gleason, Wis.) ran into some trouble in the fourth.  The inning began strong enough for Bixby as he struck out the Titans' Jake Surane.  However a single, an errant pick-off attempt at first, a walk and a stolen base gave Oshkosh two runners in scoring position with only one out.  The next two batters for Oshkosh followed with an RBI double and ground out respectively giving the Titans its first lead of the afternoon, 2-1.

Platteville brought the game back to even in the bottom of the fourth as Jake Wegner (So./Reedsburg, Wis.) led off with a double and three batters later Mitchell McLaughlin (Jr./Amboy, Ill.) lined a clutch two-out single to left centerfield.  For McLaughlin, it was his seventh RBI of the season.

Both teams scored a pair of runs in the fifth.  Oshkosh's big blow came courtesy of Matt Shermann's 2-RBI double.  The Pioneers once again answered in the bottom half this time thanks to a 2-run blast off the bat of Ross Krist (Sr./Sheboygan Falls, Wis.).  The home run was the team-leading fourth home run of the season for the Pioneers' big rightfielder.

In the sixth inning the Titans quickly loaded the bases with nobody out against reliever Nate Jennings (Sr./Arena, Wis.).  They were able to push two runs across via a Jake Anderson 2-RBI single to give Oshkosh a 6-4 lead before Jennings settled in, inducing a doubleplay and striking out Eric Modaff to end the rally.

Jennings held the Titans scoreless the rest of the way, thanks in part to inning ending gunning out of runners at the plate first by leftfielder Krist in the seventh inning and then rightfielder Jordan Collins (Jr./Mingo, Iowa) in the 9th.

Despite loading the bases in the sixth and a one-out double by catcher Brady Ketterhagen (Fr./Union Grove, Wis.) in the eighth, the Pioneers were unable to push any runs across against Oshkosh reliever Conner Brinkman, as Platteville fell in game one by the final of 6-4.  

Will Michalski worked five innings for the Titans to earn the win and move to 4-0 on the season.  Brinkman earned the save, his second of the year.  Jennings took the loss, dropping his record to 1-2.

Game 2:  UW-Oshkosh 12, PIONEERS 2  (7 innings)

Though the final score may not suggest it, game two began as a pitcher's dual.  Starters Harry Orth and Michael Greco (Sr./Bolingbrook, Ill.) stymied the offenses through five innings.  Greco would blink first, surrendering a leadoff home run to Surane in the sixth.  The 6'1 lefty quickly recovered, recording three straight flyouts to end the inning.

Unfortunately for the Pioneers, the wheels came off in the seventh.  Sam Hernandez came in to relieve Greco.  Despite a walk and error to start, Hernandez was able to induce a fly ball from Jake Anderson and strikeout from Mason Kirchberg.  With two on and two out however, Modaff came through for the Titans lacing a 2-RBI single up the middle, giving Oshkosh a 3-0 lead.  The floodgates opened after that as the Pioneers struggled to notch the third out of the frame.  Four errors, three walks, and two pitching changes later Platteville ended the seventh but not before the Titans had put up 11 runs.

Collins led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run, the first of his Platteville career, to end UWO's shutout bid.  One out later, McLaughlin doubled and with two outs, Slate Higa (Fr./Honolulu, Hawaii) was able to bring him home via a single to left.  But the Pioneers would get no closer and Oshkosh won game two via "run rule", 12-2 in seven innings.

Orth (6-2) worked all seven innnings to earn the win.  He struck out 10 and did not issue a walk.  Greco (2-3) was the tough luck loser, working six innings giving up just the one run and only three hits.