RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls baseball team split a doubleheader with UW-Oshkosh on Saturday afternoon, falling 5-4 in game one before the bats broke out during an 18-8 win in game two.
UWRF is now 15-12 overall and 8-8 in WIAC play. The Falcons and the Titans will continue their series tomorrow, with a 12 p.m. first pitch.
UW-Oshkosh 5, UW-River Falls 4
After trailing early, the Falcons fought back but ultimately fell short in game one of the doubleheader.
After the first batter of the game was retired, the Titans recorded three straight hits to score the first run. A Falcons' error later in the inning allowed another run to come home.
Oshkosh added to its lead in the second inning, scoring on an RBI single to make it 3–0.
The score held into the fifth, when
Hudson Wagner scored on a Titan error to put the Falcons on the board.
Ryan Eckerle then singled home
Tanner Hraby to cut the deficit to 3–2.
In the seventh, UWO extended its lead to 5–2, scoring on a single and a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
The Falcons responded in the bottom half of the seventh.
Andrew Athmann hit a bases-loaded double to drive in two runs, once again making it a one-run game. However, the Titans stranded the tying and go-ahead runs after River Falls had runners on second and third with no outs.
Ben Buehring closed the game for the Titans, holding the Falcons scoreless over the final two innings to earn the save.
Shaun Gavin started for the Falcons, throwing six strong innings. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits while striking out four. It was his sixth start allowing two runs or fewer.
UWRF continued to control the base paths, successfully stealing all four of their attempts and throwing out three Oshkosh baserunners. Athmann now has thrown out 17 runners on the season.
UW-River Falls 18, UW-Oshkosh 8 (7 inn.)
The Falcons offense hit five home runs in game two, a modern-era record, to power a seven-inning mercy-rule victory.
After falling behind 1–0 on a leadoff home run, the Falcon offense took over. In the second inning, UWRF batters pushed across eight runs on six hits.
Daniel Kibler hit two home runs in the inning, leading off with a solo shot before adding a two-run homer later in the frame.
UWRF's offense stayed hot in the third, scoring seven more runs to extend the lead to 15–2. The Falcons hit three home runs in the inning. Kibler and
Kaleb Zabielski hit back-to-back shots before
Kaden Kokaisel added a two-run blast later in the inning. Kibler became the first Falcon to hit three home runs in a single game in the new era of UWRF baseball.
River Falls scored two more runs in the fifth to make it 17–4. Oshkosh rallied to score four runs in the seventh, threatening to extend the game into the eighth. However, Kokaisel hit a walk-off single to secure the seven-inning, mercy-rule victory for the Falcons.
Kibler finished his historic day with six RBIs, four runs scored, and three home runs.
Carter Klein came close to another record performance, falling just a home run shy of the cycle.
Falcon starting pitcher
Vaughn Johnson threw five innings with six strikeouts to earn the victory. It marked the third time this season that Johnson has pitched at least five innings.
All nine hitters in the Falcon lineup reached base, and five recorded multi-hit games.
