April 10, 2004

Box Score

It was a tale of two games for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team here Saturday (April 10). After being no-hit by Butler University's Craig Costello in a 2-0 loss in game one, the Panthers rapped out 13 base hits en route to a 6-5 victory in the nightcap of the Horizon League doubleheader. With the second game win UWM snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 9-13 overall and 1-2 in league play. Meanwhile, Butler moved to 13-16 overall and 2-1 in loop action.

While Costello mowed down the UWM lineup in the first seven-inning game, Panther freshman Robert Michalkiewicz (2-2) did his best to keep the Butler offense at bay. The freshman lefty took the tough-luck loss by allowing just two runs on six hits in notching the first complete game of his career. Costello (4-2) walked three and struck out 10 in pitching his first career no-hitter, and just the sixth no-no in Butler baseball history. The last BU no-hitter came in 2002 when Aaron Phillips blanked IPFW.

Butler scored the first and only run it would need in the second inning under odd circumstances. Andy Bulla led off the inning with a hit and then moved to third on a Justin McKinley base hit. Then, with one out, Bulla scored and McKinley moved to second on a Michalkiewicz balk. The lefty got the next two batters to end the inning but the damage was done. The Bulldogs plated their second run in the fourth on a Stephen Gill suicide squeeze, scoring Bulla who had tripled to lead off the inning. Charlie Reschke provided UWM's best two chances for base hits but his line drive in the fifth was caught by the shortstop Gill before he was thrown out on a bang-bang play for the last out of the game.

The Bulldogs jumped ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first in game two before the Panther bats started to heat up. UWM tied the game in the second inning thanks to four base hits. Ben Stanczyk led off the inning with a single which was followed by base hits by Matt Alexander and Michalkiewicz. After a Jeremy Wilson fly out Nicholas Wichser drove home Stanczyk with a single to left field. Butler starter Tony Hornbach was able to pitch out of the bases loaded jam when he induced a double play grounder off the bat of Matt Curran.

Milwaukee took its first lead of the series thanks to a three-run third inning. Brooks Graff and Reschke led off the inning with base hits before Zak Rivera laid down a bunt single. Stanczyk drove home a run with a sacrifice fly while a fielder's choice grounder by Alexander and a Michalkiewicz single plated two more tallies.

Butler cut lead to 4-3 with two third inning runs off Panther starter Sam Jansen but UWM scored a solo run in the fourth to make it 5-3. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Jansen couldn't maintain the lead as Butler rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jeff Brown, who led off the inning with a double, scored on a Graff throwing error while Mueller scored on a wild pitch. However, hardworking reliever Jed Dolske got the final out of the inning to preserve the 5-5 tie.

The Panthers wasted little time in gaining the lead back in the top of the sixth, thanks to the continued fine hitting by Graff. With one out, Wichser tripled to straight away center. After a Matt Curran ground out Graff drove home the eventual game-winning run with an infield single. Dolske allowed just one hit in the sixth inning to improve to 2-1 on the year while Stanczyk came on to pitch the ninth for his second save of the season. Josh Rudolfi (1-1) took the loss for Butler and allowed two runs and three hits in 3.1 innings.

Milwaukee will look salvage a split in the four-game Horizon League opener when the same two teams square off in a nine-inning game on Sunday (April 11). Stanczyk (2-3) will take the mound for UWM while sophomore righthander Luke Behning (1-5) will start for the Bulldogs. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.