March 10, 2011

Box Score

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Zach Jones had four hits and drove in a career-best five runs to help power San Jose State University to a 14-5 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team Thursday night at Municipal Stadium. The Panthers (1-8), playing in their opening game of the Jack Gifford Memorial Baseball Tournament, jumped ahead in the first and were within a run in the fifth inning, only to see the Spartans (9-4) score nine of the game's final 10 runs to record the win.

Senior Doug Dekoning extended his hitting streak to 11 games, adding his eighth multi-hit outing in nine tries this season when he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Senior Cole Kraft and sophomores Jonathan Capasso and Drew Pearson each added two hits, with junior Paul Hoenecke blasting a long home run for his first of the season.

"That's kind of what we have been doing all season," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "Come out and score runs, get back in the dugout and inevitably give back the runs we just scored. That ends up being a bit demoralizing, but that is what we have been fighting through. For whatever reason, we cannot seem to put up a zero after we score."

The Panthers jumped on SJSU starter Blake McFarland (3-0), who entered the game limiting opponents to a .193 average, for two runs and three hits in the top of the first.

Milwaukee was unable to take advantage of the momentum, giving the lead right back in the bottom when the Spartans struck for four runs on just two hits, helped along by an error, two walks and a hit batter.

"I thought as the game progressed and we were behind, we really gave away some at bats," Doffek said. "But, the early part of the game we did a really good job of swinging the bats and kept pressure on them. But, we just didn't pitch well enough to be in a competitive setting."

The Panthers would battle right back, denting the scoreboard for a pair of runs in the fourth. Pearson chopped one past the shortstop to score Kraft and came around to score on an error after Capasso legged out an infield hit to make it 5-4. That was as close as Milwaukee would get.

San Jose State would not go quietly, extending the lead immediately with four runs in the bottom of the fourth before putting it away on Jones' three-run home run to deep left in the seventh inning.

Sophomore Eric Semmelhack (0-3) started for UWM but lasted only into the fourth, giving up five earned runs on five hits, walking five.

The Panthers continue play in the tournament tomorrow, taking on UC Davis with a first pitch at 8 p.m. CST.

Also, a scheduling note for the weekend - Saturday's game against Santa Clara will now start earlier, scheduled now for a first pitch of 3 p.m. CST.