May 10, 2005

Box Score - WMU 13, UWM 5
Box Score - WMU 15, UWM 7

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team surrendered 28 runs over two games in falling to Western Michigan twice Tuesday afternoon in Kalamazoo, Mich. UWM (20-25) fell in game one of the doubleheader, 13-5, and saw an early 4-0 lead dissipate in a 15-7 game two loss.

The Broncos jumped out 6-0 lead after one inning in game one, as the first six batters of the inning reached and scored. Travis May hit a three-run home run to lead the rally. After a Panther run in the second, WMU pushed its lead bask to six runs with a single run in the bottom half of the frame.

UWM's first run came on an RBI single by junior Jeremy Wilson in the second inning after senior Charlie Reschke and sophomore Ross McCoy led off with singles. The Panthers added two more runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to 7-4. McCoy and freshman Grant Berkovitz each singled to lead off the inning, while Wilson walked to load the bases. Junior Mike Goetz plated the first run with a sacrifice fly and the second run scored when freshman Jesse Hart reached on a fielder's choice.

Western Michigan answered back with two runs in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, while the Panthers added one in the fifth, to make it 13-4. UWM's run came on senior Charlie Reschke's sixth home run of the year, a solo shot to right-center field. UWM took advantage of back-to-back WMU errors to plate another run in the seventh.

Sophomore Rob Brockel (1-2) took the mound for his first collegiate start in game one and was struck for nine earned runs on 10 hits in 4.1 innings. The righty settled down after the first inning, surrendering three earned runs on four hits after the first frame.

Milwaukee came out swinging in game two with four runs in the opening frame. Senior Brooks Graff singled and junior Zak Rivera singled with one out. Two batters later, Brockel cleared the bases with a towering triple to left field. He then scored on a wild pitch and junior Joe Nowicki hit his league-leading eighth home run to right field to cap the scoring.

In the bottom of the first, WMU tied the game at 4-4 on a grand slam by Kyle Maunus. Sophomore starter Mike Rauwerdink (0-5) walked the bases loaded and, after a strikeout, Maunus homered to right-center field. In the second, the Broncos struck for five more runs, before both teams traded runs in the third giving the home team a commanding 10-5 lead.

After Western Michigan scored five times in the fourth to go up 15-5, the Panthers tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth. Nowicki and sophomore Matt Curran contributed RBI singles.

Game two was a patchwork of pitchers, as Rauwerdink threw one inning, before junior Jed Dolske threw a season-high four innings as the first reliever. Senior Shane Davis (0.2 IP) and freshman Grant Berkovitz (0.1 IP) combined on the sixth for Milwaukee in their pitching debuts.

Reschke and Rivera led the Panther offense on the day. Reschke had two hits to become the second player in school history to 200 career hits and Rivera finished with three hits in game one. In the nightcap, Reschke had two hits again, including his school-record 46th double, while Rivera walked three times, scoring twice.

Milwaukee has seven days off before returning to action at Henry Aaron Field when Chicago State comes to town next Tuesday (May 17) for a single game at 7 p.m.