SAUGET, Ill.- UW-Oshkosh baseball had another late lead on Saturday morning (March 14), but for the second time this season, the Titans fell victim to a late rally by their opponent and fell, 7-5, to the Milwaukee School of Engineering at Arsenal BG Ballpark.
 
The Titans (3-4), currently ranked 19th in NCAA Division III by D3baseball.com and 14th by the American Baseball Coaches Association, scored the game's first runs in the top of the fourth inning on a solo Braydon Skenandore (De Pere/West De Pere) home run and a Danny Connelly (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) groundout. Oshkosh held off MSOE (8-4) with a Skenandore two-RBI single in the fifth inning and an unearned run tallied by Ethan Wick (Appleton/Appleton North) in the seventh to lead 5-3, however the Raiders scored four times in the seventh inning to claim a lead their never relinquished.
 
Skenandore, the Titans' RBI leader (8), notched three against MSOE on a 3-for-4 day at the plate with his first home run of the season and a walk. Aaron Davis (Darien, Ill./Downers Grove South) also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double.
 
Jack McNamara (La Grange, Ill./Lyons) and David Wick (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) both stole a base in the game.
 
Connor Walters (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) started for the Titans and pitched 4.1 innings, fanned six Raiders against three runs on six hits, two walks and two hit batters. Hoyt Keller (Wautoma/Wautoma) came in as relief and threw 1.2 scoreless frames with two strikeouts.
 
Benje Hencke (De Pere/West De Pere) (1-1), who was assigned the loss, allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits and two walks.
 
Ryan Richter (Waukesha/Waukesha West) and Ben Buehring (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) combined for the last 1.2 innings, keeping the Raiders off the board and recording a strikeout apiece.
 
Neither team advanced past second base in the first three innings. MSOE put a runner on second in the second and third stanzas on a walk and a stolen base.
 
After Skenandore led off the fourth inning with his home run, McNamara drew a walk and moved to third base on a Tim Witchger (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) groundout before scoring as Connelly also grounded out. The Raiders tallied their first run with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Skenandore sent both Logan Schill (Pewaukee/Pewaukee) and Gavin Persson (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) home in the top of the fifth inning, who reached base on a single and a walk, respectively, before two more MSOE runs were added on an RBI single and a bases loaded walk to make the score 4-3.
 
Wick drew his leadoff walk in the seventh inning and moved around the bases on a passed ball and a stolen base before the catcher made an error and he darted home for the Titans' fifth run.
 
Hencke allowed a leadoff single in the bottom half of the seventh and put another runner on base after inducing a flyout. A walk loaded the bases and another scored a Raider before Hencke was pulled in favor of Richter. Richter walked in another run and MSOE took a 6-5 lead on a fielder's choice before scoring the final run of the game on a wild pitch.
 
Connelly threatened to score in the eighth inning, reaching third base after leading off the frame with a single, but the next three Titans went down swinging.
 
The Titans return to Illinois for three games against Illinois Wesleyan University at the green and white Titans' Horenberger Field March 20-22. Oshkosh is 11-1 against Illinois Wesleyan all time and has won each of the last 10 meetings following an 8-2 loss in St. Louis on March 20, 1993. The meeting will be the programs' first since Oshkosh won, 3-0, in Millington, Tenn. on March 16, 2002.