May 25, 2006

Box Score

FAIRBORN, Ohio - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team scored three runs in the sixth inning to trim its deficit to 5-3, only to see Wright State score sevens runs in each of the next two innings en route to a 20-3 victory on Thursday afternoon at Nischwitz Stadium. The Raiders (30-25) ended the Panthers (31-24) four-game winning streak in handing UWM a loss in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.

Down 5-0 after Wright State scored twice in the first inning and three more unearned tallies in the second, Milwaukee battled back and made it a game with three of their own in the sixth inning.

Senior Mike Goetz scored on a single from sophomore Jesse Hart to open the scoring. After a single by senior Joe Nowicki, a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Rob Brockel plated Hart and made it 5-2. Junior Ross McCoy then added another run-scoring single to cut WSU's advantage to 5-3 and get the Panthers back into it.

Things turned around just as quickly for Milwaukee, as the Raiders jumped on senior starter Rick Cavaiani (8-2) for six runs in the seventh, helped along by a couple of UWM errors in the frame. WSU batted around in the inning, scoring seven runs on nine hits to take control. They would do the same in the eighth, adding seven more off three other Panther hurlers. Seven of Wright State's runs in the game were unearned.

Cavaiani lost for the first time in over two months, seeing his seven-game winning streak come to a close. He pitched 6.1 innings, allowing 11 runs - eight earned - while walking just one and striking out two. Wright State's Erich Schanz (6-3) benefited from the offensive display, allowing three runs in six innings to earn the victory.

Milwaukee finished with nine hits, with Nowicki and Hart both going 2-for-3. Each WSU starter had at least one hit, one RBI and scored a run, with Ross Oeder, Jeremy Hamilton and Justin Parker all collecting four hits. The Raiders broke the Horizon League Tournament record for hits in a game with 26.

The Panthers will return to action in the tournament Friday afternoon, currently scheduled to play Cleveland State at 2 p.m. CST. The UIC/Butler game, originally to be played on Thursday night, will now be played at 10 a.m. CST Friday morning after it was cancelled due to rain and lightning Thursday.

UPDATED SCHEDULE (all times eastern)
Friday, May 26
Game 5: (#1) UIC vs. (#5) Butler, 11 a.m.
Game 6: (#6) Cleveland State vs. (#2) UW-Milwaukee, 3 p.m. [elimination game]
Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. UIC-Butler loser, 7 p.m. [elimination game]

Saturday, May 27
Game 8: (#3) Wright State vs. UIC-Butler winner, 11 a.m.
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 3 p.m.[elimination game]
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 7 p.m. [first championship game]

Sunday, May 28
Game 11: Second championship game, noon [if needed]