April 20, 2008

Box Score: Game 1
Box Score: Game 2

NILES, Ohio - Senior Troy Vesling of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning of game one of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon, only to see Youngstown State University tie the game at 9-9 on a two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth and win it, 10-9, with a run in the 10th inning. The Panthers (12-24, 5-8 Horizon) then went on to drop game two, falling to the Penguins (16-22, 8-5 Horizon) by a score of 10-3 in the nightcap. The one-run loss in the opener snapped what was a five-game winning streak Milwaukee had in one-run decisions.

Game one was a wild affair that featured six lead changes and three ties between the two league rivals. Trailing 8-7 after four innings, Milwaukee tied the game at eight in the fifth on a sacrifice fly.

Three scoreless frames later, the Panthers started the ninth with two-straight batters getting hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out, junior Josh Groves drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Vesling then walked on a 3-2 pitch, bringing in senior Nick Wichser with a run to make it 9-8 at the time.

The Penguins were then down to their final out when Tom Clayton came through with a pinch-hit home run to tie the game. UWM had the potential go-ahead run at third with one out in the top of the 10th, but a runner got thrown out stealing for out number two before a fly ball ended the rally.

YSU then won it in the 10th on the strength of just one hit, helped along by a hit batter, two wild pitches and two intentional walks that followed to try and set up a force out.

Milwaukee had jumped out quickly in the first, with Wichser sending his fifth home run of the season - a three-run shot - over the wall down the left field line to make it 3-0 after just three batters.

Five players had two hits each in the game for UWM: junior Andy Gerhartz, Wichser, junior Shawn Wozniak, Vesling and sophomore Dan Buchholz. Wichser scored three times and tied his career-high with four runs driven in.

The Panthers jumped out to another early advantage in the second game, getting a home run from Gerhartz leading off the contest to make it 1-0. The Penguins tied it in the second and the game stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth, when YSU tallied three runs to take control of the game at 4-1.

But UWM rallied immediately, getting two back in the top of the seventh on an RBI-double from Gerhartz and a run-scoring single from Wichser. That was as close as the team would get, as Youngstown would go on to add five runs - but just one earned - in the eighth to put it away.

Gerhartz finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two runs batted in, while Wichser and Wozniak were both 2-for-4 in the contest.

Junior Jordan Herbert (0-5) suffered the loss, allowing five earned runs in 6.0 innings, striking out five but walking four. YSU's Adam Kalafos (4-3) recorded the victory, striking out nine in 6.2 innings.

The Panthers continue their current road trip Tuesday, heading to Iowa City, Iowa, for a non-conference match-up with the Iowa Hawkeyes. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.