April 22, 2008

Box Score

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Freshman Cuyler Franzke allowed two earned runs in seven innings and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee offense pounded out 18 hits to lead the team a 13-5 victory over the University of Iowa Tuesday night at Duane Banks Field. The Panthers (13-24) trailed 2-1 and 1-0 early against the Hawkeyes (14-22) but scored seven runs between the fourth and fifth innings to forge ahead and take control of the contest. Iowa mounted a late rally in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate, but a diving catch in the outfield by freshman Doug Dekoning ended the bases-loaded threat.

Milwaukee then put the game away in the ninth, scoring four times with two outs on five-straight hits, getting run-scoring singles from seniors Jesse Hart and Nick Wichser and sophomore Shaun Wegner and an RBI-double from junior Shawn Wozniak. The team combined to go 13-for-30 with runners on base and 9-for-19 with two outs while the defense turned three double plays to help out.

"We got ahead early and kept the pressure on them," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "Iowa fought back a little bit, but Cuyler (Franzke) did a good job putting up ones instead of crooked numbers on the scoreboard. Offensively we kept the pressure on - all of those two-out hits are killers."

Franzke (3-0) stayed undefeated on the season with a quality start. He set season-highs with those seven innings pitched and also with his three strikeouts. He walked just one batter in his outing.

Hart, Wozniak and Wegner led the offense with three-hit nights, with Hart driving in four runs and Wozniak plating two. Junior Ben Long (2-for-5), sophomore Wes Munson (2-for-5) and Dekoning (2-for-3) all had two hits apiece.

The Panthers turned the game around early when they found themselves down 2-1 in the top of the fourth inning after giving the lead back to Iowa in the third. They tied it up on a clutch two-out hit by Munson and then continued to mount a furious two-out rally. Dekoning doubled down the right field line and junior Andy Gerhartz was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Hart then came up with the biggest hit of the frame, dumping a 1-2 pitch down the right field line just over the reach of the first baseman that emptied the bases and made it 5-2 on the scoreboard.

The team added three more insurance runs in the fifth inning, getting RBI's from Long, Munson and Dekoning to take the 8-2 lead.

UWM had gotten behind in the second inning after giving up an unearned run, but got it right back in the third with a manufactured run. Dekoning led off the frame by getting hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, to third on a fly ball to right and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Wichser.

It is back to Horizon League action this weekend for Milwaukee, as it travels to Ohio for a three-game showdown with first-place Wright State. Game one between the Panthers and Raiders is scheduled for a first pitch of 5:30 p.m. CST Friday.

"This is a really big weekend coming up for us after coming off a pretty disappointing one," Doffek said. "I think tonight is a step in the right direction and look for us to carry it over into the three games this weekend."