CHICAGO, Ill. - Senior Joe Pavlovich threw a complete game and allowed just a pair of runs to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team to a victory over UIC in game one of a doubleheader Sunday at Granderson Stadium.
 
The Panthers (24-15, 10-10 Horizon League) claimed a 7-2 win in the opener and had the sweep of the Flames (20-17-1, 15-6 Horizon League) in their sights before allowing an unearned run in the eighth inning in a 3-2 walk-off loss in the last of the tenth that moved UIC into first place in the Horizon League standings.
 
"Game one was a clean game where we played well in all three phases," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "And it starts with a great outing by Pav. I thought today was exactly the effort we were looking for from the guys."
 
Pavlovich (4-1) put in an impressive performance, going the distance for the first time this season. He worked in and out of trouble on the day, using three double plays behind him in the 136-pitch effort, scattering 11 hits, walking three and striking out three.
 
Five different Panthers had two hits in the contest, with senior Sam Koenig adding a pair of RBI's on his 10^th home run of the season. That long ball makes Koenig the first UWM player with at least 10 in a season since Tim Patzman blasted 11 in 2009.
 
Seniors Mike Porcaro, Tell Taylor and Tyler Hermann were all 2-for-4 and junior leadoff man Luke Meeteer had two hits, scored a run and drove in a pair.
 
Milwaukee jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and let Pavlovich do the rest. Freshman Daulton Varsho started the scoring with a double to left center, Porcaro's double made it 2-0 and Taylor's single brought in another – all with two outs in the frame.
 
UIC got on the scoreboard in the second and Meeteer's two-run double in the fifth pushed the advantage to 5-1. Koenig's dinger to left in the seventh put it away at 7-1.
 
The Panthers looked in position to make it a sweep on the day after a strong start by sophomore Justin Langley. He left with a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth, allowing just the one run on seven hits, fanning five and walking three.
 
"In game two, Langley was good also," Doffek said. "We had a chance to close that one out but we let our focus slip. We had a hard time coming up with that two-out hit that we needed, but I thought we competed hard all day which was great to see."
 
The Flames rallied for a run in the eighth, scoring on an error that would have ended the inning. UWM had a runner on second with one out in the 10^th but could not find a way to plate the go-ahead tally. Zenon Kolakowski's bases-loaded, pinch-hit infield single on an 0-2 pitch then won it in the bottom of the frame.
 
Meeteer stayed hot with three more hits (3-for-5) and Porcaro was 2-for-4 as the only UWM players with multi-hit efforts in the nightcap. Cody Bohanek led the Flames with a 3-for-4 afternoon.
 
Up next, the Panthers close out April with a pair of midweek home games, starting Tuesday against Edgewood College. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.