March 20, 2005

Box Score - UVM 2, UWM 1
Box Score - OSU 4, UWM 1

BRADENTON, Fla. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team boasted strong pitching performances over two games, but was unable to get its offense going, as it dropped a pair of games on Sunday in Bradenton, Fla. In the morning, the Panthers fell to Vermont, 2-1, while Ohio State scored a 4-1 win over UWM in the afternoon.

Junior Rick Cavaiani (0-1) got the start against the Catamounts, throwing 7.2 innings of two-hit ball. Cavaiani struck out three, while surrendering just a pair of unearned runs. Junior Jed Dolske got the final out for Milwaukee, striking out one of the two batters he faced.

For Vermont, Chris Blazek struck out 14 batters. Blazek, who ranked fifth in the nation in strikeouts last season, threw 6.2 innings, allowing just one hit. Chris Marsh (1-0) picked up the win in relief, striking out four and allowing the other UWM hit in 2.1 innings.

Trailing 1-0, Milwaukee tied the game in the seventh. Senior Blake Kangas led off the frame with a walk. Freshman Nicholas Wichser moved Kangas over to second base with a sacrifice bunt, and sophomore Rob Brockel followed with a double to plate Kangas for UWM's only run.

In the day's second game, the Panthers once again got an impressive start, this time out of junior Mike Rauwerdink (0-2). The junior transfer went seven innings, scattering eight hits and allowing just one earned run. Junior Leroy Pederson finished the game with a pair of hitless innings of relief.

Ohio State struck for one run in the fifth and three unearned runs in the seventh, while getting a complete-game performance out of Cory Luebke. The freshman southpaw carried a no-hitter into the seventh and finished with nine strikeouts.

UWM dodged the shutout in the ninth, tallying one run on three hits in the final frame. Sophomore Matt Curran led off the inning with a single. Two batters later, Kangas and freshman Jesse Hart hit back-to-back two-out singles to score Curran and provide for the final 4-1 tally. Hart led the way, collecting two of the Panthers' four hits in the game.

Milwaukee returns to action with single games on Monday and Tuesday against Cornell. First pitch is set for 9 a.m. on Monday and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.