Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Oshkosh, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team dropped a pair of games at UW-Oshkosh Friday afternoon at YP.com Softball Park.  The Titans won the opener, 6-5 in eight innings, and the nightcap, 6-1.  UW-L, receiving votes on this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top-25 Poll, falls to 18-8 overall and 6-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while the UW-Oshkosh improves to 20-4 overall and 8-0 in the conference. 

In the opener, UW-Oshkosh took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Haley Bayreuther opened the inning with an infield single followed by a walk by Hayden Krueger.  Katie Koepsel then doubled to score Bayreuther for the first run of the game. After an infield pop-out, Lindsey Luedke's infield single knocked in Krueger to make it 2-0. 

UW-L tallied five runs in the top of the fourth. Megan Nelson doubled to start the inning followed by a Kelli Anderson infield single. Emilie Wiltzius then had a bunt single scoring Nelson to cut the Titans' lead to 2-1.  Anderson then scored on a UW-Oshkosh fielding error to tie the contest.  After an infield pop-out, Emily Holldorf walked to load the bases.  Alecia Faber's two-run double knocked in pinch-runner Erin Maletzke and Pryor to give UW-L a 4-2 advantage. Katie Fink's sacrifice bunt then scored Holldorf for a 5-2 lead. 

The Titans cut the deficit to 5-4 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kassie Krueger singled with one out followed by a walk by Taylor Loew.  Emily Mallek's double scored Krueger to make it 5-3 and Bayreuther's two-out single knocked in pinch-runner Sara Wickman to cut the lead to 5-4. 

UW-Oshkosh tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with an unearnred run.  Koepsel doubled with one out and was replaced by pinch-runner Willa Papalia-Beatty.  Tess Fadness then reached on a UW-L fielding error with Papalia-Beat advancing to third.  Luedke's sacrifice fly scored Papalia-Beat with the tying run. 

The Titans scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out single.  Wickman opened the frame with a single and went to second on Mallek's sacrifice bunt.  Wickman moved to third on Lexi Wagner's groundout for the second out of the inning. Bayreuther was intentionally walked followed by the winning single to left field by Hayden Krueger. 

Heather Grelle (6-1) suffered the loss for UW-L, pitching 1.2 innings in relief.  She allowed three hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk. Nelson started for the Eagles, going 6.0 innings, allowing 10 hits, four runs and two walks while striking out one.  Anderson went 3-for-4 with a run scored while Fink finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.  Faber had two RBI. 

Sara Brunlieb (9-1) earned the victory for UW-Oshkosh, going 8.0 innings.  She allowed 11 hits, five runs (three earned) and one walk with two strikeouts.  Bayreuther, Koepsel, Kassie Krueger and Mallek each had two hits. 

In the nightcap, UW-Oshkosh scored three times in the bottom of the first inning. Bayreuther opened with a triple and scored on Hayden Krueger's double to make it 1-0.  Krueger later scored on a Fadness sacrifice fly.

UW-L cut the margin to 3-1 in the top of the fifth.  Anderson singled to start the inning and later advanced to second on a Pryor single.  Kallie Krech's sacrifice bunt moved both runners up and Holldorf's RBI single scored Anderson to make it 3-1. 

The Titans added three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Bayreuther's single scored Mallek to make it 4-1 and Koepsel later added a two-run double to knock in Bayreuther and Hayden Krueger.

Grelle (6-2) took the loss for UW-L, pitching 3.1 innings, allowing three hits and three runs (two earned). Fink and Lindsey Sheehan each went 2-for-3.

Brunlieb (10-1) also picked up the win in the nightcap for UW-Oshkosh, going 7.0 innings, allowing eight hits and one run while striking out two.  Bayreuther finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI while Koepsel had two RBI.  Hayden Krueger scored twice.

UW-L returns to action Wednesday, April 23 at UW-Stevens Point in a conference doubleheader.  The first game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.