April 6, 2012

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - Mike Hoscheit hit a three-run inside-the-park home run in the first inning and Butler University held on to defeat the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team, 3-2, Friday afternoon at Henry Aaron Field.

The Panthers (10-17, 5-6 Horizon League) scored once in the second and again in the eighth inning to pull within a run of the Bulldogs (17-14, 6-5 Horizon League), but went 1-2-3 in the ninth in defeat.

"We gave up a two-out, inside-the-park home run - which is crazy - and that ends up being the difference," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "In the third, we score a run and have a guy at third with nobody out and don't score. That was a huge momentum play and it came back to haunt us."

Butler jumped ahead in the first on an unusual play. With runners on first and second and two outs, Hoscheit hit a ball to the wall in right center. When sophomore Ryan Solberg went to pick up the ball against the fence, his foot got trapped underneath it. By the time he flipped the ball to the centerfielder and the relay throw came in, it was too late and BU had the 3-0 lead.

"Stout did a nice job, but we did a poor job making any adjustments to get on top of the baseball," Doffek said. "I think we came to play, but they fed off of our approach and that is the result you are going to get."

Following the rocky start, UWM looked ready to bounce back. Junior Jonathan Capasso doubled in a run with nobody out in the second and advanced to third on a balk. That was where the rally stopped, however, as the Panthers had a strikeout, pop up and ground out to end the threat.

Junior Cale Tassi (2-3) pitched well after the first, working into the seventh inning in allowing no one else to score. He walked two and struck out four. The bullpen was again very good, with four pitchers combining to allow no runs and no hits the rest of the way.

Milwaukee came close to tying the contest in the eighth. Junior Will Fadness started it with an RBI-single and the Panthers had the tying run at second with two outs. But Chase Byerly, who worked the final 3.0 innings for his league-leading eighth save, got out of the jam with a ground out.

Fadness (2-for-4, RBI) and freshman Luke Meeteer (2-for-4) were the only players in the Milwaukee lineup with more than one hit, recording just seven on the day. No Bulldog player had more than one.

Eric Stout (3-1) earned the victory, allowing one earned run in his 6.0 innings.

The series finale is set for Saturday afternoon, with a first pitch of 1 p.m.