Box Score The UW-Oshkosh baseball team pounded out a season-high 18 hits, including seven for extra bases, en route to defeating first-time opponent Dominican University (Ill.), 11-7, on Sunday (Feb. 27) in Hoover, Ala.
UW-Oshkosh (1-2) collected six doubles and a triple on the way to producing its most hits since getting 19 during a win over Finlandia University (Mich.) on March 30, 2019.
Jake Andersen, Mason Kirchberg, Matt Scherrman and Jake Surane led UW-Oshkosh's offensive barrage with three hits each while Connor Giusti and Ethan Schreier added two hits apiece. Sherrman also stole two bases and scored twice.
UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Will Michalski was the beneficiary of the hit parade, earning the win after allowing five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in six innings.
Dominican University (0-3) scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but UW-Oshkosh stormed back with six runs of its own during the home half of the frame as Surane and Scherrman had run-scoring hits ahead of a Zach Taylor grounder that plated Scherrman with the tying tally. Then with the bases loaded and two outs, Sean Cummins laced a bases-loaded double that gave the Titans the lead for good at 6-3.
After the Stars scored twice in the second inning, Andersen doubled home Giusti and scored on a balk during the third frame to extend the UW-Oshkosh lead to 8-5.
UW-Oshkosh put the game away with a three-run sixth inning that featured run-scoring doubles from Schreier and Taylor after Surane crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
Dominican University had 13 hits, including three by both Grayson Downing and Garrett Wano. Wano drove in four runs while Downing scored three times.
Stars starting pitcher Tyler Kara (0-1) was charged with the loss, yielding eight runs (two earned) on 10 hits in two innings.
The Titans' victory Sunday ended a three-game trip to Alabama that started with setbacks of 14-7 at Birmingham-Southern College on Friday (Feb. 25) and 10-4 against Adrian College (Mich.) on Saturday (Feb. 26). Adrian College and Birmingham-Southern College are ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, in the NCAA Division III by D3baseball.com.
UW-Oshkosh returns to action with three nonconference games in Decatur, Ill., next weekend, beginning with a contest at host Millikin University on Friday (March 4).
Photo by Jennifer Zuberbier
