May 23, 2003

Box Score

FAIRBORN, Ohio - Horizon League Player of the Year Chuck Peters hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 4-all tie, sending the University of Illinois at Chicago to a 6-4 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on the second day of the Horizon League Baseball Championship at Nischwitz Stadium.

With the loss, the Panthers (25-25) are eliminated from tournament play - the first time in the last three seasons UWM will not win the tournament title. UIC (37-16) advances to a winners' bracket contest Saturday at 10:30 a.m. EDT against either Butler or Youngstown State.

Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Mikel Schaefer struggled throughout the day, giving up two home runs and allowing six runs and eight hits in working a complete game.

Meanwhile, the Panthers tallied eight hits in the first five innings and 12 hits total against UIC ace Ryan Gehring but could not hold on to a pair of early leads. Gehring worked out of trouble in both the seventh and eighth innings, with the Panthers leaving two runners on base in each frame. Gehring then allowed a leadoff hit in the ninth, but a double play ground ball and another ground out ended the game and the season for the Panthers.

Dave Pudlosky had three hits while P.J. Cannon, Troy Doering and Marcellus Dawson had two hits apiece for the Panthers, who left seven runners on base. Mike Hughes led the UIC attack with two hits, while six other Flames had a single hit.

UWM scored first, plating a run in the second inning on a two-out single by Jeff Pitrof that scored Pudlosky. The Flames countered in the bottom of the inning, tying the game on an RBI double by Jordan DeVoir.

The Panthers again took the lead in the third. Dawson led off the inning with a single and eventually came around to score on an error by third baseman Nelson Gord. But once again UIC equalized in the bottom of the inning, with Hughes singling and moving to third on an error before scoring on a ground ball by J.P. Carey.

The Flames took their first lead of the day in the fourth inning. Brad Ryan tallied a one-out solo home run before DeVoir walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

UWM tied the game in the fifth inning with a two-out rally. Doering and Steve Sanfilippo recorded singles before Ben Stanczyk knocked them both in with a double down the left field line.

UIC then took the lead for good on the Peters home run in the sixth. The blast to right-center came with one out and scored Hughes, who had led off the inning with a single.