May 23, 2007

Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. - Senior Rob Brockel broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run triple, opening the floodgates for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team en route to a 16-6 victory over Youngstown State in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament. The Panthers (24-30) sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning and scored eight times to pull away from the Penguins (17-36).

"We put up some crooked numbers early in the game and they [YSU] kept bouncing back," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "They kept the pressure on us and Mick (Robert Michalkiewicz) did a great job minimizing the damage in these [windy] conditions. We are taking it one game at a time and you have to win four for sure, but this was a great way to start."

Milwaukee counted on its offense for the victory, pounding out 17 hits, including nine for extra-bases. Every starter had at last one hit and six players recorded two or more.

Sophomore Josh Groves led the way, finishing with a home run, two doubles and career-best six runs batted in that tied the league tournament record for RBIs in a game. Senior Ross McCoy went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, and senior Kyle Silver, junior Nick Wichser, sophomore Shawn Wozniak and Brockel all finished with two hits each. Brockel (17), Groves (13) and Wichser (13) all extended long hitting streaks. Tom Clayton led YSU with three hits; Erich Diedrich with three RBIs.

"He (Groves) is just locked in right now," Doffek said. "He is staying on top of the ball and getting good pitches to hit and getting the job done."

After the Penguins tied the game for the third different time at 6-6 on Diedrich's home run to center field in the top of the seventh, UWM responded with a huge inning of its own. Wichser led off with a single and went to third on Groves' double. Brockel then cleared the bases with his triple to right center to give the Panthers the lead they would not relinquish at 8-6 and the route was on.

Milwaukee went on to get run-scoring hits in the inning from junior Grant Berkovitz, sophomore Andy Hetebrueg and a bases-loaded double from Groves that cleared the bases and made it 14-6 at the time.

Senior Robert Michalkiewicz (6-4) earned the hard-fought victory with seven innings of work, scattering 10 hits, allowing six runs - four earned - and striking out two on a day that the wind was blowing straight out at Les Miller Field. Sophomore Tim Hoy closed it out with two scoreless innings, allowing just a meaningless hit.

The Panthers were busy offensively all day, but could never hold on until the decisive seventh inning. They held leads of 6-5, 5-3 and 3-0, only to see Youngstown State battle back each time and make it a game.

With Milwaukee up 3-0, Youngstown jumped on the scoreboard for two unearned runs in the third, scoring on a bases loaded walk and single by Diedrich.

The Panthers struck first, getting to YSU starter Lucas Engle quickly, with Wichser starting the scoring with an RBI-double with one out in the first inning. Groves followed with his first home run of the season, a shot that hit the top of the wall and went over to give UWM a quick 3-0 lead.

Milwaukee continues play in the Horizon League Tournament Thursday at 3 p.m., taking on the No. 2 seed, Wright State (34-20), at Les Miller Field.