May 10, 2008

Box Score: Game 1
Box Score: Game 2

MILWAUKEE - Senior Jesse Hart broke the school record for career hits and for doubles in a season as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team swept a league doubleheader against Butler University Saturday at Henry Aaron Field. There were plenty of heroes on the day for the Panthers (20-32, 10-13 Horizon), who have now beaten the Bulldogs (10-31, 5-16 Horizon) in six of the last seven outings between the two teams after victories of 12-1 and 9-5 today.

Hart's day started in game one, as his eighth-inning double gave him 24 for the season to break former Panther Mike Goetz's single-season record of 23 set in 2006. It got even better in game two, as Hart added three more hits in the nightcap, including a single up the middle in the eighth inning that marked No. 246 of his UWM career, moving him past the school record of 245 held by Darin Haugom (1997-2001).

"We have had a lot of great hitters in the 14 years I have been here," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "To break a record like that is not easy to do. Jesse is a tough out that just gives you a good at bat day-in and day-out and the hits kept piling up."

The Panthers scored once in the second and six more times in the third inning of the opener to jump ahead. Junior Andy Gerhartz hit a two-run double in the frame and junior Shawn Wozniak, senior Nick Wichser and senior Troy Vesling all tallied RBI's in the rally.

That was all junior Brad Lusti (3-4) needed, as he pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out a season-high nine betters. Butler managed a run in the ninth on a balk to avoid the shutout.

"He pitched from ahead all day and hit his spots," Doffek said. "He really just didn't give them a lot of flat pitches to hit."

Milwaukee pounded out 12 hits, getting two each from Gerhartz, Hart, Wozniak and junior Josh Groves. Gerhartz added a season-high three runs batted in, while sophomore Shaun Wegner scored a game-high three runs. Jason Jamerson had two of BU's four hits in the game. Wichser laced his 20th double of the season in the contest, giving UWM three players (Hart - 24, Wozniak - 22) with 20+ doubles for the first time in program history.

Game two featured a closer battle despite the fact that UWM jumped out to an early 5-0 lead through four innings. The Panthers plated four in the fourth with two outs, getting a big two-run single off the bat of freshman Doug Dekoning and RBI-singles from Gerhartz and Hart.

The Bulldogs scored three in the fifth on Joe Pauley's three-run home run and pulled within 5-4 on Pauley's second home run of the game in the seventh.

Milwaukee rallied with a pair of insurance runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings and senior Adam Ferrell threw 3.0 innings to record his sixth save of the season, striking out two.

Senior Matt Holzheuter got the win (1-2), working 2.0 scoreless innings of relief after junior starter Jordan Herbert had to come out of the game despite striking out three batters in the first two innings.

Gerhartz added three more hits in the nightcap to go 5-for-9 with four runs scored and four runs batted in on the day and also added his team-leading 15th steal of the year. Hart had three hits in game two, while Groves was 2-for-4 and Dekoning was 2-for-3 with two driven in and scored twice.

"Andy (Gerhartz) was all over the field defensively and caused a lot of havoc on the bases," Doffek said. "He came up with a couple of big hits and really made a couple of tough plays on defense that were momentum-swingers for us."

Not to be lost in all of the play on the field was a new record for the coach as well. Doffek now has 20 wins this season, giving him 45 in his two years as the head coach. That breaks the record for most victories by a coach in his first two seasons, which was 44 by former skipper Jerry Augustine (21 in 1995 and 23 in 1996).

The Panthers return to action with a special day Thursday, hosting Youngstown State at Miller Park. The doubleheader will begin after the Brewers/Dodgers game that day, with an approximate start time currently set for 4:30 p.m.