La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team earned a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) doubleheader sweep of UW-Oshkosh Monday afternoon at Copeland Park in the Eagles' final regular-season home games of the year. UWL took the opener, 7-6, and the nightcap, 5-0. The Eagles improve to 20-14 overall and 14-10 in the WIAC while the Titans drop to 20-13 overall and 14-8 in the conference.
George Seaman went 4-for-8 with three RBI in the doubleheader.
In the opener, UW-Oshkosh took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Eric Modaff was hit-by-pitch with two outs and advanced to second on a balk. After Jake Surane walked, Matt Scherrman's single knocked in Modaff with the game's first run. The Titans made it 2-0 in the fourth. Nicholas Shui singled, went to third on a failed pick off attempt and came in on Ethan Schreier's sacrifice fly.
UWL, 10-7 at home this season, took a 3-2 lead with three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Jack Olver scored on a Titans' throwing error after
Connor Roesler's bunt to get the Eagles on the board.
Jonathan Wizner followed with a sacrifice bunt to score Roesler and tie the game at 2-2.
George Seaman followed with an RBI single to knock in
Jordan Williams to give UWL a 3-2 lead.
UW-Oshkosh regained the lead in the top of the fifth on Shiu's two-out three-run home run, scoring Scherrman and Zach Taylor. UWL cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth on Olver's solo home run. The Titans took a 6-4 advantage in the top of the sixth with Jackson Broom scoring on an Eagles' throwing error off a Mason Kirchberg bunt.
UWL rallied with three runs with two outs in the eighth. Roesler singled to start the inning and went to second on Williams' sacrifice bunt. After a flyout, Seaman's RBI double scored Roesler to cut the lead to 6-5.
Zach Carney followed with an RBI double to knock in Seaman and tie the game.
Tommy Nelsen's single scored Carney to give UWL a 7-6 lead.
The Titans got a pair of runners on base in the top of the ninth, but pinch-runner Joey Petryniec was picked off for the second out and Broom flied out to end the game.
Tommy Nelsen extended his hitting streak to 19.
UWL finished with 13 hits in the opener as seven starters recorded a hit. Carney went 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI while Seaman finished 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Olver went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI while Wizner finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Alex Redman (4-3) earned the win, going 2.0 innings in relief, allowing two hits with two strikeouts.
Jacob Bryant started for the Eagles, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing 10 hits, six runs (four earned) and three walks while striking out five.
UW-Oshkosh totaled 12 hits with Taylor and Broom each finishing 3-for-5 with a run scored. Scherrman and Shiu each went 2-for-5 with Scherrman finishing with one run and one RBI while Shiu scored twice with three RBI. Connor Brinkman (5-3) took the loss for the Titans, going 7.2 innings, allowing 12 hits and seven runs (four earned) with three strikeouts.
In the nightcap,
Brady Schmitt and
Caleb Matl combined on the eight-hit shutout for UWL. Schmitt (3-2) earned the victory, going 7.1 innings, allowing seven hits while striking out 10. Matl picked up his fourth save of the year, pitching 1.2 innings, allowing one hit and one run with three strikeouts.
UWL took a 1-0 lead in the second inning in Monday's second game. Olver doubled to lead-off the inning, advanced to third on
Tim Urlaub's sacrifice bunt and scored on Roesler's sacrifice fly to the shortstop. The Eagles made it 2-0 in the fourth.
Mac Born reached on a fielder's choice and went to second on Olver's single. Urlaub followed with an RBI single to score Born.
UWL tallied three times in the sixth to take a 5-0 advantage. Olver singled with one out and went to second on Urlaub's fielder's choice. Roesler followed with an RBI single to score Olver for a 3-0 lead and Williams' single scored Urlaub to make it 4-0. Seaman added a two-out run-scoring single to knock in Roesler.
Zach Carney went 5-for-9 in the doubleheader.
All nine starters recorded a hit for UWL in the nightcap with Olver finishing 3-for-4 with two runs. Carney, Nelsen and Born each had two hits. Nelsen extended his hitting streak to 19.
Logan King (3-1) suffered the loss for UW-Oshkosh, going 6.0 innings, allowing 14 hits and five runs with two strikeouts. The Titans finished with eight hits with Scherrman going 2-for-4.
UWL returns to action Tuesday, May 3 at Luther College (Iowa) at 2:30 p.m.
