Luke Westphal (Jr. • Clintonville) and Andrew Murphy (So. • Suamico) didn't allow an earned run over 13 innings as the UW-Oshkosh baseball team notched a doubleheader sweep over The College of Wooster (Ohio) on Sunday (March 20) in Port Charlotte, Fla.
The Titans (3-1) racked up 16 hits and used six strong innings from Westphal to post a 7-2 victory in the opener. Murphy (first career win) went 7.1 frames and struck out five batters as UW-Oshkosh came back for a 2-1 triumph in the second contest.
Game one featured two recent additions – Jake Dostalek (Fr. • Waterford) and Kyle Van Abel (Jr. • Kaukauna) – who bashed three hits apiece. Dostalek plated one run on a groundout before bringing two more Titans home with his double in the fourth frame. UW-Oshkosh went up 4-0 during the fifth inning when Alex Mullendore (Jr. • Glendale Heights, Ill.) posted an RBI single.
The Fighting Scots (5-6) used groundouts from Zac Mathie and Johnathan Ray during the seventh and ninth innings to plate their runs. The top of the ninth frame included three UW-Oshkosh scores, highlighted by Mullendore's double and Dostalek's single.
Westphal walked two and struck out three for the win, while Troy Mrkvicka (Jr. • Greendale) gained the save with three innings of one-run ball. The loss belonged to Josh Stidham, who yielded four earned runs on 11 hits in six frames. Zach Klein got the final eight outs and allowed two ER.
In the nightcap, Greg Van Horn singled in a run during the opening frame for Wooster's lone tally. The Titans surrendered just three base hits the rest of the way, as Murphy walked one and struck out five. Mrkvicka made it three consecutive games with a save by sending down the last five Scots.
Singles from Sean Grabig (So. • Howard) and Doug Beattie (So. • Escanaba, Mich.) set up a UW-Oshkosh score in the fifth inning. The score was tied, 1-1, after Dostalek hit into a double play. Mullendore drove in the lead run with a sixth-inning groundout when the Titans capitalized on an error.
Van Horn compiled three of Wooster's four hits, while Beattie and Van Abel each recorded two of the Titans' eight. Kennan White pitched all eight innings to take the loss as he walked one and struck out four.
UW-Oshkosh faces Carroll University and The College of Wooster on Thursday (March 24) in Fort Myers, Fla.