April 2, 2005

Box Score

NORMAL, Ill. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team built an early 2-0 lead, but could not hold on, falling to Illinois State, 6-3, Saturday afternoon in Normal, Ill. The Panthers (5-12) had won game one of the series, which was concluded earlier in the day, after rain suspended play on Friday.

For the second-straight game, Milwaukee jumped out to the early 2-0 lead on the Redbirds, this time with single runs in each of the first two innings. Freshman Jesse Hart drew a two-out walk in the first inning and scored on senior Blake Kangas' double. In the second inning, sophomore Rob Brockel led off with a triple and scored when freshman Grant Berkovitz grounded out to second base.

After Illinois State tied the score with two runs in the third inning, UWM went back up on top, 3-2, when junior Jeremy Wilson hit his team-leading third home run to lead off the fifth inning.

The Redbirds countered with two more runs in the bottom half of the frame to take the 4-3 lead, before adding a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning.

Junior Rick Cavaiani (0-2) gave the Panthers 7.1 innings in his second start of the season. He surrendered six runs, five earned, on 12 hits, while striking out two and walked none before giving way to junior Leroy Pederson. Pederson hurled 0.2 innings of hitless relief.

UWM and ISU concluded their series Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest at Redbird Field.