March 19, 2011

Box Score: Game 1
Box Score: Game 2
Box Score: Friday's Final

ATHENS, Ohio - Sophomore Eric Semmelhack pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team to a 7-2 victory over Ohio University Saturday at Wren Stadium. The Panthers (3-12) and Bobcats (9-9) spent a long day at the ballpark, wrapping up game one, which was halted late Friday due to rain, before playing today's scheduled doubleheader.

Ohio did win the other two games, claiming a walk-off victory by a score of 4-3 on a two-out home run in the 11th inning and then also winning, 6-4, in the third contest of the day.

"Eric Semmelhack was just fantastic today," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "He had given up just two hits heading into the ninth - one was lost in the sun and the other was a jam job that fell in over the shortstop's head. He had all three pitches working and threw really well. Nick Lingvay also gave us a big spark offensively and defensively in that game."

Semmelhack retired the first 13 batters in order and faced the minimum without allowing a hit through the first five innings. His no-hit bid was broken up in the sixth but a double play erased that runner as well.

After a three-up, three-down seventh, a one-out double gave the Bobcats their first base runner past second base in the game. The shutout was broken up in the ninth, however, when Jensen Painter drove in two with a two-out single. Semmelhack ended the day with one walk and three strikeouts in recording UWM's first complete of the 2011 campaign.

The offense slated the team to a 2-0 lead in the fourth on a ground out and senior Sam Sivilotti's sac fly. The Panthers then added to it with a four-run seventh inning, including a run-scoring hit by sophomore Nick Lingvay, who would add a sac fly for another RBI in the eighth.

Milwaukee had just seven hits of their own, with Lingvay leading the way with a 2-for-3, 2 RBI outing. Senior Doug Dekoning did see his hitting streak end at 15 games (0-for-4, 2 runs), with no other player recording more than one hit.

In the nightcap, unearned runs hurt the Panthers, with three errors making just half of the six runs earned in the 6-4 decision. Freshman Mike Schneider pitched well in his start, allowing six hits and two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work, striking out seven batters.

"We got a great start by Mike Schneider, but found ways to beat ourselves on defense," Doffek said. "We stranded way too many runners in that game and should have never been in that position."

UWM jumped ahead, 2-0, after two innings, scoring on a first-inning home run by Dekoning and a run-scoring double off the bat of junior Mark Strey.

Ohio got one back in the third and then took the lead for good in the sixth inning on Kory Burkhardt's two-run single.

The Panthers threatened with senior Cole Kraft knocking in a run in the seventh, but the team left the bases loaded in that inning and stranded three more in the eighth and ninth combined before falling.

Dekoning led the offense with a 2-for-3 day, while Strey went 2-for-2 and was on base all four times after getting hit twice. Kraft was 2-for-5 and Adam Gecewich led the Bobcats with a 3-for-4 outing.

UWM dropped a heartbreaker to start the day, as the two teams completed the halted game from Friday. Junior Greg Blohowiak got the Panthers out of an eighth-inning jam to start the day, but Seth Streich's two-out, two-strike home run in the last of the 11th won it for Ohio.

"Jordan Guth gave us a quality start going back to yesterday and Greg (Blohowiak) came in and got us out of some trouble," Doffek said. "We had opportunities all game long and could not get that big two-out hit - that has really been our Achilles' heel all season. But you have to give a lot of credit to their kid. He won the game on an 0-2 pitch that wasn't even in the strike zone. Tomorrow is a new day"

These two teams warp up the series with a noon CST start tomorrow.