April 16, 2011

Box Score

AVON, Ohio - Freshman Mike Schneider and junior Kaleb Engelke combined to throw five scoreless innings in relief and four runs in the third inning by the offense held up as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team recorded a 5-2 victory over Cleveland State University Saturday at All Pro Freight Stadium.

The Panthers (15-17, 7-2 Horizon League) trailed the Vikings (7-25, 1-11 Horizon League) early, but went ahead in the third inning and let the pitching do the rest to earn the series victory, two games to one, on the weekend.

Schneider (3-1) came on in relief in the fifth inning with two runners on base and nobody out. After a double and a walk, he recorded back-to-back strikeouts and a ground ball to end the inning and keep his team ahead, 4-2, at the time.

Schneider pitched well the next three innings, working around a pair of walks but allowing no hits, striking out five in his four-inning outing. Engelke worked around baserunners in the ninth, but did strike out the side to record his fourth save of the campaign.

"If you look at today's game, Mike Schneider came in at a critical time when they had us on the ropes," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "We needed a freshman to make some huge pitches and get us back in the dugout with the lead and he did that. We did not play our best baseball this weekend, but we did have some guys step up in big spots when we needed it. To go on the road and win a league series is a positive."

Down, 1-0, in the top of the third inning, sophomore Drew Pearson got the offense on the board when he blasted his first home run of the season to left center. Seniors Cole Kraft and Chad Pierce added back-to-back singles in front of senior Doug Dekoning, who gave UWM the 2-1 lead with a double to right center. Senior Sam Sivilotti added an RBI on a groundout and junior Paul Hoenecke drove in the fourth run of the inning with a single.

"We have to keep grinding things out while we are learning," Doffek said. "This is a good group of guys with a team-first attitude. It's a fun group to be around."

Hoenecke reached on an error and came around to score on a sac fly off the bat of freshman Sam Koenig to close out the scoring in the eighth inning.

Sophomore Jordan Guth was the starter and worked into the fifth inning. He gave up just two hits, but did walk four batters. He was charged for both earned runs but did equal his career-high with seven strikeouts.

Hoenecke (2-for-4), Pearson (2-for-4) and Dekoning (2-for-5, 2 2B) all had two hits apiece to lead UWM. Alex Johnson had a game-high three hits (3-for-5) to pace the Vikings. Nate Dick (1-3) suffered the loss, allowing four earned runs in 4.0 innings on the hill.

A five-game homestand awaits the Panthers, getting the week underway with a non-conference matchup against Wisconsin Lutheran College Tuesday. UWM then welcomes Cardinal Stritch on Thursday before a big showdown with Wright State on the weekend.