May 25, 2002

Box Score

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Quintin Oldenburg pitched a five-hitter and Charlie Reschke hit a two-run home run as part of a five-run second inning to help UWM continue its run through the Horizon League Baseball Tournament with a 9-0 win over UIC Saturday morning at Jacobs Field.

The Panthers (35-18), who are undefeated in tournament play, advance to again face UIC in Sunday's championship game at 11 a.m. Milwaukee time. The Flames downed Butler, 5-3, Saturday night to remain alive in the tournament. UIC would need to beat UWM twice to keep the Panthers from earning their second-straight NCAA Tournament berth.

UWM has dominated its three tournament games, pounding out 39 hits while winning the three games by a combined 24-6 score. The Panthers have also won seven-straight league tournament games dating back to last season.

Oldenburg (9-2) was in control throughout the game on the mound for the Panthers, working his third complete game of the season in beating UIC for the second-straight week. He pitched a complete-game six hitter in downing the Flames last Saturday in Milwaukee. He allowed only one runner as far as third base and struck out seven batters, adding to his school-record career total, which now stands at 239.

"He threw really well today," UWM head coach Jerry Augustine said of Oldenburg, who now has 26 career victories. "His breaking ball was working very well and he took control of the game after we got him the lead."

UIC starter Larry Banks (7-7) lasted just four-plus innings, allowing eight runs and 11 hits. The Flames (38-15), who won the regular season league championship and entered the tournament as the top seed, will now have to win three games to claim their first-ever league tournament title.

Dave Pudlosky had three hits while John Vanden Berg and Steve Guden had two hits apiece to pace the Panther attack.

"We've swung the bat well all tournament," Augustine said. "We've gotten runners in scoring position and gotten them in, which is what you have to do to win baseball games."

UWM's five-run second inning started with a bloop infield single by Vanden Berg. After Pudlosky flied out, Guden doubled down the left field line to score Vanden Berg and Reschke followed with his second home run of the season just over the fence in right field. The inning was far from over, though, as Shane Davis and Ben Beno collected back-to-back singles before Troy Doering was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Adam Christ followed with a single to right to score two runs and give UWM a 5-0 advantage.

The Panthers added three more runs in the fifth. Vanden Berg was hit by a pitch before Pudlosky doubled down the left field line. Guden singled in Vanden Berg with a bloop hit to center and Davis drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to right. The final run in the inning scored on a UIC error.

UWM plated another run in the sixth thanks to a UIC error. Christ walked and went to second on a David Michna single. After a double play, Pudlosky hit a ball toward first that went under the glove of Andy Deahl and into right field to make the score 9-0.