May 3, 2008

Box Score: Game 1
Box Score: Game 2

MILWAUKEE - Senior Jesse Hart hit two home runs and junior Andy Hetebrueg won for the third time in his last four starts as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team opened a doubleheader against Valparaiso University with a 13-5 victory at Henry Aaron Field Saturday. Rain delayed the start of the opener between the Panthers (16-29, 7-12 Horizon) and the Crusaders (16-28, 7-9 Horizon) by more than three and a half hours. Valpo won the series by taking game three, 20-3, despite a record-tying 15-strikeout performance by UWM's pitching staff in the contest.

A seven-run fourth inning put the opener away, turning a 2-1 Milwaukee advantage into a 9-1 lead. The team sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring six of the seven runs with two outs. Much of the damage came on freshman Doug Dekoning's three-run home run to center field, which was followed by a two-run shot by Hart to left and an RBI-single off the bat of junior Shawn Wozniak to close out the rally.

Hetebrueg (4-6) threw six strong innings of one-run baseball before tiring. He left in the seventh and was charged with five runs (four earned), six strikeouts and six walks.

"Andy (Hetebrueg) did a solid job for us," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "He limited the big innings for Valpo. In our big inning, we strung together two-out hits. We also had a couple of multi-run home runs that really broke their back."

The Panthers added four in the eighth to extend the lead back to eight runs, getting runs batted in from junior Ben Long, sophomore Shaun Wegner and junior Josh Groves.

The offense ended the day with 12 hits, getting two each from Hart (three RBI), Wozniak (three runs scored) and Dekoning (three RBI).

Game two saw the Valpo offense explode for 20 runs and 17 hits, yet the Milwaukee pitching staff managed to tie the school record with 15 strikeouts.

Freshman Cuyler Franzke (3-1) suffered his first loss in a UWM uniform, giving up seven earned runs in just two innings. He struck out one.

"Cuyler (Franzke) had trouble controlling his pitches early in the game," Doffek said. "They had a two-run double that hurt us and, from there, when it rains it pours."

Junior Tom Hoy added a strikeout in 2.0 innings, senior Matt Holzheuter and freshman Brett Proud each fanned five batters in 2.0 innings a piece and sophomore Zach Hoch struck out two batters in the ninth to equal the program record of 15 set March 30, 2003 against Northern Iowa.

Milwaukee scored three runs in the seventh and collected 10 hits, but only freshman Cole Kraft (2-for-5) had more than one hit. Wozniak went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Valpo's Zach Rodeghero had game-highs with four hits and four runs scored in extending his hitting streak to 24 games.

Milwaukee starts a very busy week on Tuesday, hosting Chicago State in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at home.