Feb. 27, 2010

Box Score: Game 1
Box Score: Game 2

JONESBORO, Ark. - For the second-straight day, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team lost a game they never trailed until the final play, falling to Arkansas State University, 4-3, in the 10th inning Saturday in game one of a doubleheader. The Panthers (0-3) led in the eighth inning once again, only to see their 3-2 advantage over the Red Wolves (5-1) disappear in the eighth and then fall on a fielding error in the bottom of the 10th inning. Milwaukee would then go on to drop game two of the doubleheader by a score of 11-4.

Freshman Eric Semmelhack pitched a gem in his collegiate debut, working seven complete innings in allowing just two earned runs. He scattered nine hits and struck out five in the opener.

"Eric did an outstanding job for his first time on the mound in college," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "Unfortunately we just couldn't hold the lead. The eighth inning was our downfall again. We just couldn't put up a zero."

UWM led 2-0 and 3-2, breaking a 2-2 tie in the top of the sixth on a two-out double off the bat of senior Dan Buchholz that plated senior Ben Long.

Arkansas State went quietly in the sixth and seventh, but scratched through with a run in the eighth on a two-out single. The Red Wolves then won it in the 10th on an unearned run following a two-out fielding error.

"We just didn't swing the bats very well all day either," Doffek said. "We are not putting quality at bats together and left too many opportunities out there early in the opener that would have affected the outcome of the game."

The Panthers started the scoring in the third, plating two in the frame on three hits and an ASU fielding error. Junior Chad Pierce's one-out double started the rally and runners were at second and third after junior Sam Sivilotti reached on a throwing error. Following a fielder's choice out at the plate, senior Shaun Wegner came through with a clutch two-out single to make it 1-0. Long then followed with the same result, singling up the middle to drive in junior Cole Kraft.

Every starter had at least one hit, with Long the only spot in the order with two. Junior Doug Dekoning singled to extend his hitting streak to 18 games.

Game two got away from the Panthers in the fourth inning. After Milwaukee scored twice in the top of the frame on a two-run single from freshman Drew Pearson that cut the deficit to 3-2, the Red Wolves would erupt for three in the third, a pair in the fourth and then iced it with a three-run eighth inning.

Senior Jordan Herbert (0-1) was tagged with the loss, giving up three earned runs in 3.0 innings, allowing four hits and recording a strikeout. Pearson led the offense with two hits and two RBI, with sophomore Paul Hoenecke (2-for-4) and Long (2-for-5) also adding multi-hit games. Dekoning saw his 18-game hitting streak snapped after going 0-for-4, grounding out in his last chance to extend his streak in the top of the ninth.

These two teams wrap up the weekend series with a Sunday afternoon contest, getting underway at 1 p.m.