March 30, 2007

Game 1: UWM 13; Wright State 6
Game 2: UWM 3; Wright State 12

DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team scored in each of the final five innings of the opener, breaking open a 4-4 tie with a six-run seventh inning on its way to a 13-6 victory. The Panthers (4-16, 3-2 Horizon) were unable to complete the sweep when the Raiders (11-10, 5-3 Horizon) used a five-run second inning to set the pace in a 12-3 win in game two.

"That was huge to get that win in game one and get that off our back and have two more to go out and win the series," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "I thought Robert (Michalkiewicz) did a really good job of minimizing the big inning and our hitters did a good job in that first game of making them pitch deep in the count."

Three walks loaded the bases and set the table in the decisive seventh inning of the opener. A wild pitch scored the first run before sophomore Shawn Wozniak doubled down the right field line to make it 7-4 at the time. An RBI-single off the bat of junior Grant Berkovitz and a hit batter put runners on first and second and extended the rally. Sophomore Josh Groves emptied the bases once again, with his double to left field closing out the scoring in the inning.

Junior Jesse Hart added two more in the ninth inning with a double to the right center gap.

A three-run fifth inning by the Raiders gave the host a short-lived 4-3 lead. The Panthers tied the game at four on senior Ross McCoy's single in the sixth.

The Panthers had jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first, scoring two unearned runs off starter Garret Holleran (2-2). UWM gave one right back in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead in half.

Senior Robert Michalkiewicz (1-3) earned the win with eight innings of work. He allowed four earned runs, scattered 12 hits, walked none and struck out four. Holleran worked 6.1 innings, striking out two.

Offensively, Hart led four multi-hit efforts with a 3-for-5 day. McCoy finished a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs scored, a walk, two hit-by-pitches and two stolen bases. WSU was led by three hits from Justin Parker.

UWM was unable to carry the momentum into the nightcap, as Wright State used three hits, a walk and an error to plate five runs in the second inning. It added two more in each of the third and fourth innings in taking a 9-1 lead at the time en route to the 12-3 decision.

WSU starter Erich Schanz (2-3) threw a gem, allowing one run and just three hits in eight complete innings. Two of the three hits came in the fourth, when UWM scored its only run. The Panthers were set down 1-2-3 in five of the eight innings. Jeremy Hamilton paced the offense with three doubles and five runs batted in.

"I think we caught Schanz on the wrong night," Doffek said. "He was pretty special, he kept his fastball down and really keeping us off balance with a good slider ... it was pretty good pitching."

Hart had two hits and senior Rob Brockel had one for Milwaukee, with Hart scoring a run. Sophomore Andy Hetebrueg added a two-run double in the ninth. Six pitchers took the mound for UWM, with senior Mike Rauwerdink (1-5) taking the loss, allowing seven runs - four earned - in two innings. Sophomore Tim Hoy struck out four in two innings; while senior Tom Zimmerman struck out both batters he faced to finish it.

The series finale, originally scheduled with a tentative start time of noon CST, was moved up one more hour due the weather once again, and will now start at 11 a.m. CST at Nischwitz Stadium.