May 16, 2004

Box Score

CARBONDALE, ILL. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee pounded out 15 base hits and led on two different occasions but ended up dropping a 9-8, 10-inning contest to Southern Illinois University in non-conference baseball action in the finale of a three-game series here Sunday (May 16). The Panthers committed four errors on the day which allowed the Salukis to score four unearned runs, including the game-winner in the tenth inning. With the loss the Panthers fall to 22-27 overall while the Salukis improve to 22-28-1 while taking the series two games to one.

Southern Illinois jumped out to a 4-0 lead scoring two runs in the first, one in the second and one more in the third. Kevin Koski drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double in the first while Greg Andrews drove home Koski with a run-scoring single. P.J. Finigan notched a sacrifice fly in the third while Andrews scored the fourth run on a throwing error by Charlie Reschke.

Down 4-0, the Panthers clawed back to take a 5-4 lead thanks to a single run in the fifth and four more in the sixth. Ross McCoy scored the first run on a Nicholas Wichser double play ball in the fifth before the four-run sixth inning. Brooks Graff led off the frame with a single and advanced to third on a Reschke base knock. A Ben Stanczyk single scored Graff while a Joe Nowicki sacrifice fly plated the second run. McCoy then put the Panthers on top when he blasted a two-run home run, his sixth longball of the season.

The Salukis marched right back and scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to grab a 7-5 lead and knock UWM starter Korey Keller from the game. Milwaukee came from behind for the second time in the eighth, when a three-run rally gave the visitors an 8-7 lead. Reschke led off the frame with a single which was followed by a Stanczyk walk. Nowicki ripped an RBI double to left to score Reschke and, on a Ross McCoy strikeout and wild pitch, Stanczyk came into score on a throwing error by the SIU catcher. The Panthers took the lead again when a Zak Rivera double play scored McCoy.

The game turned into a battle of the bullpens from there and the UWM defense allowed an unearned run to score in the eighth to tie the game and another to win the game in the tenth. Milwaukee had a chance to go back ahead in the tenth inning as Stanczyk and Nowicki led off the inning and advanced to second and third with one out. However, SIU reliever Andrew Weber got Rivera to strike out swinging and Wichser to fly out to left to end the rally.

Weber allowed five hits and no earned runs in three innings of work to improve to 5-1 while Jed Dolske (3-5) took the tough luck loss despite not allowing any earned runs in one and a third innings of work. Leroy Pederson continued his fine work out of the pen as he allowed just one unearned run and two hits in 2.2 innings on the mound.

Nowicki led the UWM offense with three hits, a run and two RBI while Reschke added three hits. Graff, Stanczyk and Wichser each added two hits apiece while McCoy drove in two runs and scored two more. Finigan led SIU with two hits, two runs, and four RBI.

The Panthers return to action Tuesday (May 18) when Western Michigan University comes to Milwaukee for a 2:00 p.m. contest. The game was moved to Tuesday following the postponment of the original contest set for May 11. UWM will then close out the 2004 regular season with a four-game Horizon League series versus Youngstown State University beginning on Friday (May 21).