May 19, 2002

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - UIC made a five-run first inning stand up en route to a 10-5 win over UWM, clinching the regular season Horizon League title for the Flames.

The Panthers (32-18, 15-8 Horizon) will hold the second seed in next week's league tournament at Jacobs Field in Cleveland and will open tournament play Thursday at 2:30 p.m. EDT against fifth-seeded Cleveland State. The Flames (36-14, 14-5) will hold the top seed and will face either Wright State or Detroit Thursday at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Panther starter Rob Erickson (2-2) did not throw a strike in surrendering three walks and hitting a batter before being pulled for Cory Kleeba. By the time the first inning, two more batters had been hit and the Flames recorded an infield single to make the score 5-0.

The Panthers rallied to within 5-3 thanks to a single run in the bottom of the first and two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but UIC put the game away by scoring three times in the eighth and two times in the ninth to secure its first regular season league title since 2000.

John Vanden Berg and Dave Pudlosky had three hits apiece for the Panthers, who had 12 hits but hit into two double plays and left six runners on base in losing a league series for the first time since 1999. Troy Doering and Adam Christ added two hits apiece for UWM.

Kevin Nelson and Mike Hughes led the UIC attack with two hits apiece while Nelson Gord drove in three runs.

Eric Xidis (6-4) worked 6 2/3 innings in relief to claim the win for the Flames, allowing four runs on eight hits. Starter Scott Anderson worked just a third of an inning before being pulled after allowed a run on three hits. David Haehnel worked the final two innings for UIC.

Cory Kleeba again was solid in middle relief for the Panthers, working a career-high 7 1/3 innings while allowing just two earned runs and five hits. Matt Freisleben surrended the final two UIC runs in the ninth.

The day started badly for the Panthers as Erickson hit Mike Bruszer to start the game before John Rosner, Curtis Granderson and Mike Lorenzo walked. Kleeba replaced Erickson and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Chuck Peters before hitting Mike Hughes and Kevin Nelson. Bryan Russo popped out to right for the second out but Gord barely beat out a slow roller up the middle on a disputed play that wound up plating two runs and gave the Flames a 5-0 advantage.

UWM responded with a single run on a Vanden Berg RBI single to left in the bottom of the first and added two more in the fifth on a Pudlosky single to left center.

But the Flames put the game away in the eighth. UIC loaded the bases against Kleeba with one out, bringing Freisleben into the game. Gord drove in a run with a sacrifice fly before two more runs came home on a Shane Davis error at first base. The Panthers did respond with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning on a Steve Guden fielder's choice and a Pudlosky ground ball. UIC, though, again eliminated any doubt in the outcome by plating two insurance runs in the ninth.