May 30, 2010

Box Score

GARY, Ind. - Sam Sivilotti drove in three runs and Chad Pierce pitched into the seventh inning to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team to a thrilling 6-3 victory over Wright State University Sunday in the Horizon League Tournament Championship game. The Panthers (33-24) scored first against the Raiders (31-25) and never trailed, earning a bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament with the victory at the U.S. Steel Yard.

Sivilotti gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead with a two-out RBI-single in the fourth inning. He then came up in even a bigger spot in the sixth inning, sending a 3-2 pitch - the ninth of the at bat - to the right center gap with two down to plate two more runs and give UWM a 4-1 lead at the time.

Pierce (7-4), who was coming off a 150-pitch effort in a win over Valparaiso Thursday, came back on short rest and was a warrior on the mound. He worked into the seventh, giving up just two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out four in working around a few jams. For his effort during the tournament, he was named the Most Valuable Player.

"I am extremely proud, that is a tremendous amount of work," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "It's been eight years, battling, and trying to overcome some things. Our guys are just so resilient. This team, I think, had five one-run or walk-off losses at the beginning of the year that kind of set the tone negatively and they persevered. They kept working, they kept working for the big picture and kept their eyes on the prize."

With the Panthers leading 4-2 in the eighth, Jake Hibberd led off with a home run to draw Wright State to within one. Enter Cameron Amsrud, who got out of the inning, but not without drama. After Paul Hoenecke made a fine diving play to get the first out, back-to-back singles left the Raiders with runners on first and third with just one out. Amsrud got a big strikeout of Aaron Fields and then induced a weak ground ball to first to end the threat. He worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his league-leading ninth save of the year and the celebration was on.

Sivilotti, who was named the U.S. Army Player of the Game, was also involved when the Panthers tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the ninth. Hoenecke led off with a double and Sivilotti was asked to advance the runner with a sacrifice bunt. Despite a two-strike count, he did the job, only to see the WSU catcher throw the ball down the left field line for pinch-runner Jim Lundstrom to come home. Sivilotti then scored easily on Jonathan Capasso's base hit to center to make it 6-3 heading into the last of the ninth.

Milwaukee had nine hits in the game, with four players recording two-hit efforts: Sivilotti (2-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 run), seniors Ben Long and Dan Buchholz (2-for-4, 2 runs each) and Capasso (2-for-4). Aaron Fields again led Wright State, going 3-for-4.

Pierce was relived in the seventh by Jayme Sukowaty, who was also on short rest following his three-hitter against the Raiders on Friday. He worked a 1-2-3 inning before being relived by Amsrud in the eighth. Amsrud earned the six-out save with his 11th-consecutive scoreless outing on the season. He allowed two hits, walked none and struck out a pair.

In addition to Pierce being named the MVP, he was also a member of the Horizon League All-Tournament Team. He was joined on the squad by Sivilotti, Buchholz and Long.

Join the Panthers for the release of the NCAA Tournament pairings, which will be revealed Monday on ESPN at 11:30 a.m. Meet the team at Oakcrest Tavern, starting at 11 a.m., for the fun at 4022 North Oakland Avenue in Shorewood, when the location of the regional and opponents will be announced. NCAA regionals then take place June 4-7, 2010.