After UW-Stevens Point edged UW-Oshkosh 6-5 in an intense opening game, it was hard to believe the second game of Saturday's baseball doubleheader at University Field would have more to offer.

However, the excitement of the nightcap managed to surpass the opener as the Titans held off a furious Pointers' rally for a 14-13 win in 11 innings to capture their 28th Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and first since 1999.

UW-Stevens Point still had title hopes entering the day, but will now play for the second seed in the upcoming WIAC tournament after dropping to 20-13 overall and 12-5 in the WIAC. UW-Oshkosh is 25-7 overall and 19-3 in the league.

The Pointers scored all six runs and had six of their eight hits in the first two innings of the opening game before hanging on until the final out. Brandon Scheidler (Chippewa Falls/McDonell) hit a two-run single and Justin Bushong (Rhinelander/Rhinelander) had a run-scoring double in a three-run first inning and the Pointers added three unearned runs in the second.

UW-Stevens Point pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (Auburndale/Auburndale) allowed four runs over the first four innings, but then settled in and retired 10 straight batters until being chased after a leadoff single in the eighth. Zimmermann finished with 11 strikeouts and no walks over seven innings to improve to 5-0 for the season.

Matt Mehne (Amherst/Amherst) forced the Titans into an inning-ending double play in the eighth and worked out of a ninth inning jam for his fourth save. Following a solo homer by Bryan Schwebke that cut the lead to 6-5 in the ninth, Brad Demmin singled, but was stranded at second to end the game. Demmin finished the game four-for-five with a home run.

The Pointers appeared to be in control of the second game with a 5-1 lead in the sixth and Mike Thrun (Franklin/Franklin) cruising along on the mound. Adam Evanoff (Plover/SPASH) hit a three-run homer in the first and a Titans' error led to two runs in the fourth. However, UW-Oshkosh struck for four runs after two outs and nobody on base in the sixth, taking advantage of two Pointers' errors to tie the game.

Stewart Larsen (Sturgeon Bay/Sturgeon Bay) broke the tie with a three-run homer off Titans' ace reliever Brian Gerl in the seventh, but UW-Oshkosh responded in the eighth when Mike Waupoose launched a pinch-hit grand slam for a 9-8 lead. The Pointers forced extra innings as Zimmermann blasted a solo home run deep to left field with one out in the ninth.

UW-Oshkosh capitalized on two more UW-Stevens Point errors in the 11th and took the lead on a run-scoring single by Mickey Fadness before breaking out for five runs in the inning.

The Pointers responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Evanoff homered to lead off the inning, Bushong had a run-scoring infield single and Brad Archambeau (Watertown/Watertown) delivered a two-run double to put runners at second and third. However, Gerl forced a groundout to end the three-hour, 16-minute game.

UW-Stevens Point had 19 runs and scored eight runs in six innings off Gerl, who had only allowed four earned runs in 39 and two-thirds innings this season. Archambeau was four-for-seven, while Bushong was three-for-seven and Zimmermann was three-for-six. Six of UW-Oshkosh's 14 runs were unearned as the Pointers had five errors.