May 26, 2004

Box Score

NILES, Ohio - Horizon League Player of the Year Ben Stanczyk allowed one run and three hits in seven innings and hit a two run home run to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a 11-3 win over Wright State University in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament here Wednesday (May 26). The Panthers, who improved to 23-28 on the season, will advance to face No. 1 seed Illinois-Chicago Thursday (May 27) at 10:30 a.m. With the loss, Wright State drops to 22-33 and will face the loser of the Cleveland State and Detroit game on Thursday.

Milwaukee came out swinging from the get-go and scored three runs in the second and three more in the fourth en route to a 6-0 lead. The Panthers were held scoreless in the first despite three straight singles but broke out in the second thanks to five base hits. Joe Nowicki singled to lead off the inning and scored on a Ross McCoy triple. A Blake Kangas groundout scored McCoy before singles by Sam Jansen, Steve Sanfilippo, and Brooks Graff plated the third run.

The three runs were more than enough for Stanczk who allowed just one base hit with five strikeouts through three innings. Milwaukee put the game out of reach in the fourth when three hits and a sacrifice fly plated three more runs. McCoy doubled to lead off the inning and then scored on a Jansen two-bagger. Sanfilippo drove home the fifth run of the game with a sacrifice fly while Matt Alexander's single made it 6-0.

Wright State got one run back in the bottom of the sixth but UWM's five-run seventh made it an 11-1 game. Charlie Reschke tripled to start the inning and scored when Stanczyk blasted his ninth home run of the season. Nowicki singled for his third hit of the game and moved to third when McCoy ripped a double, his third extra base hit of the game. Back-to-back walk to Zak Rivera and Jansen scored a run before a Graff two-run single scored the Panthers' final two runs.

Milwaukee head coach Jerry Augustine removed Stanczyk (7-3) after seven innings and 88 pitches, allowing senior Aaron Bushong and sophomore Jed Dolske to work the final two innings. Stanczyk, the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, struck out nine to move into first place on UWM's single-season strikeout list with 95. Nowicki finished the day three-for-five while McCoy and Jansen combined for six hits, four doubles, a triple and three RBI.

The Panthers, who split the regular season series with Wright State, improved to 18-11 overall in Horizon League Tournament history. UWM and UIC played four games in Miwuakee earlier in the season with each team winning twice.