May 12, 2009

Box Score

LOVES PARK, Ill. - Senior Josh Groves drove in four runs and junior Tim Patzman went 5-for-5 to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team to a come-from-behind 7-6 victory over Northern Illinois University Tuesday night at Road Ranger Stadium. The Panthers (23-25) led by scores of 4-0 and 5-3 before falling behind in the seventh inning. But, they pounded out 14 hits on the night to win for the third time in four games this season against the Huskies (17-33).

Down 6-5 in the top of the eighth inning, the Panthers started a rally when Patzman drilled a double to the gap in left and senior Shawn Wozniak walked to put two on base. After a failed sacrifice bunt attempt, freshman Paul Hoenecke took matters into his own hands, sending a pinch-hit double to right center to plate Patzman with the tying run.

One pitch later, Wozniak came across on a passed ball to put UWM up 7-6.

"It was a good team win - we got a lot of people involved and our bullpen did a really good job for the most part," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "We really didn't capitalize on the big innings like we should have - we had opportunities inning after inning and kept putting up ones and that is always dangerous. But, to our credit, we didn't lay down."

NIU tried to rally immediately, as an error and a sac bunt put the tying run in scoring position. But, the Milwaukee pitching staff did their job, as seniors Tim Hoy and Craig Meier each recorded an out to end the rally in the eighth.

Meier ended up working 1.1 hitless innings to record his eighth save of the season, while freshman Cameron Amsrud (5-1) picked up another victory.

UWM led 4-0 and 5-3, but Jordin Hood was the man to lead Northern back, hitting two home runs and driving in five runs in the sixth and seventh innings combined to put NIU ahead, 6-5.

Junior Nate Caldwell had his best outing of the season, holding the Huskies hitless until the fourth while facing the minimum through the first four innings as well. At one point, he went through the third inning by striking out three-consecutive batters on looking strikes. He got out of an early jam, a bases-loaded situation in the fifth, with a strikeout and a ground ball.

He ran into trouble in the sixth, as a walk, error and three-run home run off the bat of Hood made it a game at 4-3 at the time.

Milwaukee's offense got on board in the first inning and methodically added to the lead from there, scoring one run in four different innings.

Up 2-0 in the fourth, Milwaukee made it 3-0 when Wozniak drove in Patzman, who had doubled to lead off the inning.

Groves added his third run batted in of the game in the fifth inning, plating senior Andy Gerhartz on a shallow sacrifice fly.

It was Groves who started the scoring with an RBI-single in the first inning and then added another run-scoring single in the third. Gerhartz helped out that time, legging out a base hit in the infield and stealing second on a pickoff attempt to get into scoring position for Groves.

In addition to Patzman and Groves' big nights, Gerhartz finished 3-for-3 and reached base four times, while also stealing his 23rd base of the season.

The Panthers wrap up the regular season with a three-game series against Butler University, playing at Miller Park Thursday. Game one of that doubleheader will start approximately at 4 p.m., following the conclusion of the Brewers/Marlins game that day.