April 22, 2006

Box Score: UWM 4; Cleveland State 6
Box Score: UWM 16; Cleveland State 0

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After a tough 6-4 loss in game one, the bats came alive in game two, as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team won 16-0 to split a doubleheader with Cleveland State on Saturday. The Panthers (16-18, 8-9 Horizon) used a 14-hit attack against the Vikings (7-25, 6-11 Horizon) to post their largest margin-of-victory of the season.

"It was good to see the team respond like they did," assistant head coach Scott Doffek said. "After a tough loss in game one, we really needed to come back strong in game two ... and they did just that."

The Panthers struck fast and furious in game two, scoring once in the second, four times in the third and three more times in the fourth to jump out to an 8-0 lead in never looking back. UWM had eight of its 14 hits go for extra bases, including five home runs. The Panthers got two long balls from senior Joe Nowicki, and one each from senior Zak Rivera, junior Rob Brockel and freshman Dan Buchholz.

Brockel staked the team to a quick 1-0 lead in the second, doubling home junior Ross McCoy who had opened the inning with a single. In the second, sophomore Jesse Hart came through with a two-RBI double, Nowicki plated another on a sacrifice bunt and Brockel followed with a solo home run to make it 4-0.

All of the runs came via the long ball in the fourth. Buchholz opened the frame with his second of the season before Nowicki hit a two-run shot to center field. They made it a blowout with a five-run seventh, with Nowicki adding his second of the game and Rivera following three batters later with a two-run home run, his second of the day.

Junior starter Mike Rauwerdink (4-2) benefited from the offense with a fine performance of his own, working 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out four. Senior Korey Keller, junior Tom Zimmerman and senior Jed Dolske threw the final four scoreless innings in allowing just one more CSU hit and completing the combined shutout.

Nowicki finished the game with three hits, three runs scored and four runs batted in. Rivera, Brockel, and senior Mike Goetz all chipped in two hits each.

In game one, Milwaukee jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning on a home run from Rivera and a two-run single off the bat of Goetz.

Senior starter Aaron Sorenson (2-3) was cruising from the start, allowing just two hits in the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. In the decisive frame, the Vikings scored five times on the strength of five hits, with the big blast coming in the form of a two-run home run from Rich Ranells that gave his team the lead for good.

The teams traded runs in the eighth when McCoy and CSU's Ryan Baechel homered, but the Panthers could get no closer, going 1-2-3 in the ninth.

For Cleveland State, starter Nathan Schaefer (1-4) went 7.0 innings, allowing all four runs while striking out eight. Reliever Brian Ling pitched a hitless eight and ninth for the save. Sorenson finished with five strikeouts for Milwaukee, who managed just six hits offensively in the contest.

These two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Sunday, playing a single game set for a noon EST start.