Feb. 26, 2006

Box Score

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Junior Rob Brockel went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and three runs batted in to help lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team to a 9-8 comeback victory over Northern Illinois on Sunday at the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic.

In a game that saw the lead change hands on four different occasions, Milwaukee (2-5) scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to turn a one-run deficit into a 9-8 lead against the Huskies (2-4). Junior Kelby Mack picked up the victory with two scoreless innings to close out the game.

Senior Mike Goetz doubled to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning and scored on sophomore Jesse Hart's fielder's choice-RBI. Hart then stole second and third base before coming home on a wild pitch to give the Panthers the lead they would not relinquish.

"It feels like we have been on the wrong end of all the late-inning decisions so far this season," assistant head coach Scott Doffek said. "It feels really good to be on the right side of one for a change."

Brockel hit his first home run of the season in the third to give UWM an early 3-1 advantage. NIU battled back with four in the fifth off starter Aaron Sorenson before freshman catcher Dan Buchholz came up with the biggest hit of his young Milwaukee career - a double in the fifth that scored Brockel and senior Joe Nowicki to make it 5-5 on the scoreboard.

In the sixth, Milwaukee was at it again, scoring twice as Nowicki had a sacrifice fly that plated Goetz before Brockel's second double of the game sent Hart home to give his team a 7-5 lead at the time.

Sorenson went 5.0 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out four. Senior Rick Cavaiani came on in the sixth, but gave up three runs to the Huskies to push them ahead by a count of 8-7.

Mack started the eighth, retiring the side in order in both the eighth and the ninth while earning the victory. Five Northern Illinois pitchers threw in the contest, with Mark Badgley taking the loss.

Goetz finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored to extend his season-long hitting streak to seven games, while Hart stole three bases and scored twice. Nowicki was 1-for-2 with an RBI and was hit by a pitch twice. NIU outhit the Panthers 12-10 in the game, with Jesse Seykora finishing with a team-high three.

The schedule doesn't get any easier, as the Panthers make the trip to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers. The Tigers are currently ranked No. 23 after coming in at No. 14 in the preseason poll. The three-game set is scheduled from March 3-5, and starts with a 6:30 p.m. game on Friday.