Feb. 25, 2005

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Shane Davis notched two base hits but it wasn't enough as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team dropped its season opener 9-1 at Austin Peay State University here Friday (Feb. 25). The Panthers collected seven hits on the day but couldn't score off APSU starter Rowdy Hardy in his eight innings of work. Milwaukee is 0-1 on the season while the Governors improved to 2-2.

APSU took control of the game early and scored single runs in the second and third innings before touching UWM starter Korey Keller for two runs in the fourth. The Governors then broke the game wide open in the fifth with a four-run, five-hit inning to make it 8-0. The Panther defense didn't help matters as four errors led to four unearned runs.

Milwaukee finally dented the scoreboard in the ninth with a two-hit inning. Junior Matt Curran led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a groundout. Then, with one out, freshman Jesse Hart lined a single to left field for his first career RBI and first career hit in his first collegiate at bat. However, UWM couldn't muster any more offense in the eight-run defeat.

Davis went two-for-three to lead Milwaukee while five other players notched at least one base hit. Sophomore first baseman Ross McCoy did extend his career long hitting streak to 16 games with a seventh inning double. Hardy, the preseason Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, allowed no runs and just five hits with 10 K's in his eight innings of work. Keller allowed four earned runs and eight hits in 4.1 innings in the loss.

UWM will return to action on Saturday (Feb. 26) when it plays Akron at 11 a.m. in Clarksville, Tenn.