March 25, 2006

Box Score: UWM 11; UIC 10 (11 innings)
Box Score: UWM 3; UIC 5

CHICAGO, Ill. - Senior Joe Nowicki doubled home the winning run in the eleventh inning on Saturday, helping the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team to an 11-10 victory over the University of Illinois at Chicago on a cold day at Les Miller Field. The Panthers (6-10, 1-2 Horizon) had to settle for the split with the Flames (8-11, 2-1 Horizon), dropping a 5-3 decision in game two of the doubleheader.

"This was a tough weekend, but UIC has a very good, competitive team this season," assistant head coach Scott Doffek said. "We have 27 league games left this year and they will be nip and tuck just like this weekend. Right now the offense is really coming alive. It's good to see that one through nine [in the line-up], the guys aren't giving away at-bats."

The winning rally started with two outs in the top of the eleventh when junior Rob Brockel singled. Nowicki then sent a double to left center, plating Brockel with the decisive tally. Brockel wasn't done there, as he earned the victory on the mound with 3.0 innings of work, retiring five of the last six batters in the game.

The other big news in the first game happened when the first batter stepped to the plate. Senior Mike Goetz established a new Milwaukee school record with a bunt single to open the game, extending his hitting streak to 23 games to break the old standard of 22 set by Scott Gillitzer in 2001.

Up 4-3 in the top of the seventh, the Panthers appeared to break the game open when they scored six runs on four hits in the inning. Sophomore Grant Berkovitz opened the scoring with an RBI-single to make it 5-3. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Brockel plated another before Nowicki and sophomore Jesse Hart extended the rally with run-scoring singles. Junior Ross McCoy continued his recent hot streak with a two-run home run to left field to give UWM a 10-3 lead.

But, UIC battled back, scoring five in its half of the seventh and one run in each of the eighth and ninth to send the contest to extra innings before Nowicki's heroics.

The Panthers ended the game with 15 hits, led by a team-high four from Hart. Nowicki (3-for-5, 2 RBI), Berkovitz (3-for-6, 2 RBI), McCoy (2-for-4, 4 RBI) and Goetz (2-for-4, 3 runs) all added multi-hit games for UWM. Three Flame players had three hits, with Mark Hallberg's three runs batted in leading the way.

Milwaukee did not have as much luck in game two, as UIC jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings. UWM finally broke through against Flame starter Joe Skinner (1-3) in the seventh, making it a one-run affair with three in the frame.

McCoy and senior Jeremy Wilson each singled to start the inning and were brought home by freshman Andy Hetebrueg's double to left field. Senior Matt Curran came through with a pinch-hit single to put two runners on. Goetz drove in another on a single to right, but UIC threw out Curran at third to thwart the rally.

Bart Babineaux then homered to lead off the eighth, ending the scoring in the 5-3 affair. UWM couldn't get anything going in the eighth and ninth, as two UIC pitchers combined to retire six of the final seven batters.

Junior Mike Rauwerdink took the loss (1-2), allowing four earned runs in 5.0 innings of work. Goetz extended his hitting streak to 24 games with two more hits, while Wilson had two hits and McCoy stayed red-hot with a 3-for-4 performance. In his last six games, McCoy is hitting .667, with 16 hits in 24 at-bats and 10 runs batted in.

"He is just a tough out right now," Doffek said about McCoy. "He just continues to give opponents tough at-bats."

Mark Hallberg and Bart Babineaux each had two hits to lead the Flames.

The Panthers will be right back in action on Tuesday, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a non-conference match-up with the University of Northern Iowa. Game time versus the Panthers is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.