April 2, 2011

Box Score: Game One
Box Score: Game Two

MILWAUKEE - Sophomore Jonathan Capasso drove in the winning run in the eighth inning to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team come back from a seventh-inning deficit in posting a 6-5 victory over Butler University Saturday afternoon at Henry Aaron Field. The Panthers (7-16, 2-1 Horizon) let a 5-4 lead slip away when the Bulldogs (11-12, 3-3 Horizon) tied the game in the top of the eighth, only to plate the winning run in their half of the frame.

"That was perseverance," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "It's exactly what this team needs to do to regain a bit of confidence. We've just kind of lost that and have been back on our heels a little bit. Not that they don't want to win - if anything they want to win too much - but just pressing. It was great to see them battle, battle and battle and finally find a way to get over the hump."

Senior Cole Kraft looked like the hero in the seventh when his two-run, two-out single gave Milwaukee the 5-4 lead. But Butler came right back, tying the game in the eighth on Jack Krause's RBI-double.

That set the stage for Capasso in the eighth. Following a leadoff single by senior Doug Dekoning and a failed sacrifice bunt attempt, senior Sam Sivilotti drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Capasso then laced a 1-1 pitch to right field to plate the eventual winning run.

Junior Kaleb Engelke (2-0) picked up the win, working the final 1.2 innings of hitless relief to give UWM the series, two games to one.

"That's what you try to do, you try and win the series," Doffek said. "We certainly didn't execute like we needed to, but when it's all said and done - to win the series is important."

Senior Chad Pierce led the offense with a 3-for-4 day, with Kraft finishing with two hits and three runs batted in. Capasso and Dekoning were both 2-for-4, while Krause led the Bulldogs with two hits and two RBI.

The Panthers were held scoreless until the sixth against Mike Hernandez, finally getting on the board on Kraft's double to the right field corner.

"His (Hernandez) pitches started to flatten out a little bit," Doffek said. "He's always very good with nobody on base. We had some opportunities to get some guys on base and we got some hittable pitches. And, unlike the first game, we got some big hits. That was the difference between game one and game two. In the first game they got the big hits. We had 13 hits and only scored one run - just could not get a big hit. In the second game, we got a couple and got the win."

Milwaukee and BU were tied, 1-1, in game one until late in the contest. Sophomore Eric Semmelhack threw well, allowing two runs in 7.0 innings of work, striking out five. The Milwaukee offense pounded out 13 hits in the game, but could not come through in the clutch, stranding 11 runners on base.

The Bulldogs went ahead in the eighth on a single from Corey Moylan and then added two more insurance runs in the ninth. Jared Wagoner (3-2) earned the win, allowing just one run in 8.2 innings. The Panthers rallied in the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but Chase Byerly came on to get the final out for his third save of the season in the 4-1 decision.

Kraft was 3-for-5 in game one with freshman Tell Taylor (2-for-5), Dekoning (2-for-5) and Sivilotti (2-for-4) all adding multi-hit performances.

League play continues next weekend with a drive down the interstate to take on UIC for three games. In between, Milwaukee pays Northwestern a visit for a non-conference game April 5, starting at 3 p.m.