Feb. 26, 2005

Box Score

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. - Jeremy Wilson and Joe Nowicki each homered but the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team is still struggling in the early going as it dropped a 5-3 contest to the University of Akron here Saturday (Feb. 26). UWM held Akron scoreless in the last three innings but could not muster anything offensively in falling to 0-2 on the season. With the victory Akron improves to 2-3 on the year.

The Zips got on the board first when Doug Kruthaupt singled home Andy Capraruolo who had tripled to lead off the game. Milwaukee quickly tied the game in the top half of the second on Nowicki's homer to right center but the Zips scored three runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good.

The Panthers made things interesting in the fifth and cut the lead to one, 4-3, with a two-run frame. Matt Curran singled to lead off the inning and scored on Wilson's bomb to left field. Mike Goetz walked with one out, stole second, but was then picked off to end the rally. Akron scored another run in the bottom of the fifth but was then shut down in the sixth, seventh, and eighth by UWM reliever Rick Cavaiani.

Unfortunately Milwaukee couldn't dent the scoreboard in the final three innings despite posting a couple of threats. UWM's best chance to score came in the eighth when Brooks Graff and Charlie Reschke ripped one out singles. However, Ross McCoy bounced into a double play to end the rally, and the inning.

Aaron Sorenson struck out five but aallowed five earned runs in five innings in dropping his first decision as a Panther. Cavaiani did perform well out of the pen as the JUCO transfer allowed no runs and just two hits in three innings of relief. Billy McKinney allowed three runs and seven hits with 10 K's in 7.1 innings to move to 1-0 on the year.

Milwaukee will get one last chance for a victory in Clarksville on Sunday (Feb. 27) when it faces Valparaiso at 9 a.m.