Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 #19 UW-Oshkosh 7, UW-La Crosse 4

UW-La Crosse 13, #19 UW-Oshkosh 8

Oshkosh, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team opened up Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play with a doubleheader split at 19th-ranked UW-Oshkosh Sunday afternoon at Tiedemann Field. The Titans, ranked 19th on this week's d3baseball.com Top-25 Poll, won the opener, 7-4, before the Eagles came back to win the nightcap, 13-8. UW-L is receiving votes on the d3baseball.com Top-25 Poll. UW-L is now 8-6 overall and 1-1 in the WIAC after Sunday's split while UW-Oshkosh is 12-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

In the opener, the Titans took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Michael Polcyn's infield single. The Eagles scored a run in each of the next two innings to take a 2-1 advantage. Josh Rowles' sacrifice fly in the top of the second scored Garrett Novinski to tie the game and Novinski's sacrifice bunt in the third scored Adam Cordova to give UW-L a 2-1 lead.

UW-Oshkosh regained the lead with three runs in the fifth on Bobby Kachel's three-run double, but UW-L came right back to tie the contest with a pair of runs in the sixth on Brooks Braga's single and Cole Cefalu's fielder's choice.

The Titans tallied three times in the seventh as Doug Beattie and Polcyn walked before Michael Swift hit a three-run home run.

Tim Verthein (1-4) took the loss for UW-L, pitching 6.1 innings, allowing five hits, six runs and six walks while striking out seven.

Braga and Cordova each finished 2-for-4 for the Eagles. Braga had an RBI and Cordova a run scored.

Travis Sindles (2-0) earned the victory for UW-Oshkosh, going 4.0 innings in relief, allowing two hits, one run and one walk.

Polcyn was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI while Swift and Kachel each finished with three RBI.

In the nightcap, UW-Oshkosh raced out to a 5-0 lead after three innings, but UW-L scored four times in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 5-4. Cefalu opened the fourth with a double and scored on Cordova's single. Ben Morgan later added a two-run single for the Eagles and Trevor Burmeister knocked in Morgan with a double.

Tyler Kamps gave the Titans a 6-4 lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Eagles tallied five runs in the fifth to take a 9-6 advantage. Braga opened the frame with a triple and scored on Cefalu's home run to tie the game. Brett Jacobson gave UW-L the lead as he scored on a UW-Oshkosh throwing error. Novinski later scored on a wild pitch and Morgan scored on a fielder's choice.

UW-Oshkosh cut the margin to 9-8 after a Brock Guetzke RBI single in the fifth inning and Kamps' second solo home run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. UW-L scored three times in the seventh to lead 12-8 with Cefalu recording an RBI single, Cordova an RBI double and Jacobson a sacrfice fly.

Rowles finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to score Novinski.

Kevin Johnson (3-0) earned the win for UW-L, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing 14 hits, eight runs and two walks while striking out three. Skyler Debilzen pitched 2.0 innings, allowing two hits while striking out four.

Cefalu and Cordova finished 4-for-6 with Cefalu scoring three times and having three RBI. Cordova scored once and had two RBI. Jacboson, Novinski and Morgan each had two hits and two runs scored. Morgan also had two RBI.

James Lacy (1-1) took the loss for UW-Oshkosh, going 4.2 innings, allowing 11 hits and eight runs (six earned) with three strikeouts.

Robbie Kleman went 5-for-5 for the Titans with one run and one RBI. Kamps, Polcyn, Swift and Zack Whalen each had two hits.

The teams are scheduled to play another doubleheader Monday, April 8 at UW-Oshkosh beginning at noon.