April 21, 2007

Game 1: UWM 3; Cleveland State 10
Game 2: UWM 2; Cleveland State 1

LORAIN, Ohio - Sophomores Andy Hetebrueg and Jordan Herbert combined on a four-hitter and junior Grant Berkovitz drove in the winning run in the eighth inning to give the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team a 2-1 victory in the second game of a doubleheader against Cleveland State on Saturday. The Panthers (9-22, 8-8 Horizon) did drop the opener to the Vikings (10-26, 7-7 Horizon) by a score of 10-3.

Hetebrueg started the game and worked into the seventh, giving up just four hits. He walked two and also struck out two. Two of the hits came in the CSU sixth, plating a run and making the score 1-1 at the time.

"It was just an outstanding job by Andy (Hetebrueg) setting the tone in game two," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "Wes Munson made some outstanding plays defensively at shortstop and then (Jordan) Herbert came in and closed it down."

Milwaukee had broken the scoreless tie in it's half of the sixth when senior Rob Brockel drove in senior Kyle Silver with a sacrifice fly. Silver doubled to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to third by junior Jesse Hart.

Herbert (1-1) came on in the seventh, getting out of a jam with a runner on second. He was perfect in his 2.1 innings of work, allowing no hits and striking out three.

Berkovitz plated the winning run in the eighth, driving in Hart who had doubled with one out.

Senior Ross McCoy made some history in the seventh, as his double gave him 48 for his career, breaking the UWM school record of 47 held by Charlie Reschke (2002-05).

Hart, McCoy and sophomore Shawn Wozniak all had two hits in the game for Milwaukee.

Down 3-0 after Cleveland State scored three in the second inning of game one, Milwaukee battled back and was within one at 3-2 on Berkovitz's RBI-triple in the fourth inning and Hart's run-scoring single in the fifth.

That was as close as UWM would get, as the Vikings struck for seven runs in the next two innings, getting five alone in the sixth inning on the strength of six hits.

"We came out flat and made a couple of pitches that let them off the hook," Doffek said. "They strung together a couple of two-out, two-strike hits that we could not overcome. You have to give them a lot of credit."

The Panthers added one in the eighth on McCoy's sacrifice fly, but that closed out the scoring in the 10-3 decision.

Junior Dan Luczak (2-7) allowed 10 hits and six earned runs, striking out five but walking three others. Brandon Hewitt (1-5) threw a complete-game for CSU, scattering nine hits and striking out a batter.

Hart and Berkovitz had two hits each for Milwaukee. Theo Hudson had a game-high four hits and three RBIs for Cleveland State.

Milwaukee continues its road trip with non-conference action next, heading to Evanston, Ill., on Tuesday for a game against Big Ten foe Northwestern. Game time is set for 3 p.m.