May 27, 2001

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. - It took two days, more than three hours of playing time, and three rain delays for the NCAA Regional baseball game between UWM and California-Santa Barbara to finish.

Unfortunately for UWM, the game came down to one swing of the bat.

Jed Stringham's opposite field home run just inside the right field foul pole with one out in the top of the ninth inning gave UCSB a 13-12 win, eliminating the Panthers (39-18) from the NCAA Tournament. The Gauchos advance to a game Sunday night against the loser of the Notre Dame/Florida International game.

UWM trailed 12-7 in the bottom of the fifth inning when the game, which had been suspended late Saturday afternoon, resumed. UWM scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within 12-11, then tied the game on a John VandenBerg sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eight.

Matt Freisleben opened the top of the sixth inning on the mound for the Panthers, replacing Aaron Bushong, who pitched until the game was suspended Saturday. Freisleben allowed just one hit and two baserunners in his first 3 1/3 innings of work before Stringham put a ball into a stiff wind blowing out to right.

The game originally started on Saturday, but was suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning after a three hour and 12 minute rain delay. The game was scheduled to resume Sunday at 10 a.m., but the start was delayed until 10:35. Another delay at 11:19 stopped play for 38 minutes before the three hour and 11 minute game concluded.

Saturday, UCSB jumped on Panther starter Mike Oiler for five runs in the first inning before knocking him out before he retired a batter in the second. Reliever Rob Erickson surrendered two more runs in the second, and Bushong allowed four unearned runs in three innings.

The Panthers struck offensively with four runs in the bottom of the second inning, then scored three more times in the fourth. Derek Daggett tied an NCAA Regional record with two triples, while Scott Gillitzer had four hits, marking the 33rd time this season Gillitzer has had at least two hits in a game and the second time this season he had four hits in a game. Eric Geordt also broke an 0-for-13 streak with a two-run home run in the fifth.