May 4, 2010

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Senior Ben Long had four hits, including the game-winner in the eighth inning, and sophomore Cameron Amsrud pitched two perfect innings to close out a 7-6 victory for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team over Cardinal Stritch University Tuesday at Henry Aaron Field. The Panthers (21-19) jumped out to a 5-1 lead, only to see the Wolves (16-32) claw back into it and tie it with a three-run seventh inning.

Long came through big in the eighth inning, singling up the middle on an 0-2 pitch to break a 6-6 tie and help Milwaukee escape. Amsrud (2-5), the last of six UWM pitchers, came on with the winning run on base and retired all six batters he faced to pick up the victory.

"Cam did a great job of settling things down," Panthers head coach Scott Doffek said. "We didn't execute one facet of the game today. It was a really disappointing effort, they really outplayed us and we were really fortunate to win. Cam really picked us up and sometimes that is what it takes. Sometimes you are going to have a bit of a letdown, but thankfully we had a guy step up."

With the Panthers up 2-0 after three innings, the Wolves got one back in the top of the fourth before junior Cole Kraft's sacrifice fly pushed the advantage back to two runs at 3-1 in the bottom. Junior Doug Dekoning followed with a run-scoring single that made it 4-2 at the time.

Milwaukee tacked on one more in the sixth on an RBI-single from senior Tim Patzman before Stritch rallied. Helped along by an error, three hit batters and a catcher's interference, it scored three times to make it a new game at 5-4.

The Panthers scored one more time in the bottom of the seventh, only to see CSU tie the game in the eighth on Dean Mlachnik's double and Andy Abromaitis' single.

A hit batter helped start the winning rally. Following a walk, Long plated the winner on his fourth hit of the day.

"I think he was seeing the ball well," Doffek said. "He has been close all season to really getting going. I would have liked to have seen us play the game the right way today instead of just getting a result. But, we won ... Ben and Cameron stepped up and willed us to a `W'."

The Panthers recorded 15 hits in the game, led by the 4-for-5, two-RBI performance by Long. Dekoning (2-for-4) and junior Sam Sivilotti (2-for-5) also had multi-hit games.

A big weekend awaits the team next, as it takes on Wright State in a series with first place in the standings on the line. Game one of the three-game set is scheduled for a first pitch of 5:30 p.m. CST Friday.