WHITING, Ind. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team overcame a rough start by scoring nine runs over the first three innings on its way to a 15-11 victory over Oakland University Wednesday in first round action in the Horizon League Tournament at Oil City Stadium.
 
"It was do-or-die in this game, so any way you can find a way to win," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "If you don't, you're going home. We found a way. I thought our offense did a great job of picking us up – in that phase I thought we did really well. That (Oakland) is a dangerous offense as they have shown at times throughout the year. But we found a way."
 
The contest, which started following a 76-minute rain delay and was played in unseasonably cool temps in the low 40's, featured 26 runs and 32 hits overall, led by seven different Panthers who had two or more hits.
 
Milwaukee (36-18) fell behind after the Grizzlies (10-39) plated a pair of quick runs. A six-run response in the bottom of the first set the tone for the rest of the evening as the Panthers advanced in the single-elimination first round of the postseason.
 
"That was huge," Doffek said. "Oakland came to play. We put some good at bats together and before you know it, you look up and it's a six-spot. To their credit, they did not lay down. No matter how many runs we scored, they just kept grinding out at bats and hitting the ball hard. You have to give them a lot of credit."
 
Senior Derek Peake continued his torrid pace, adding a 3-for-6 night with three RBI to extend his hitting streak to 12 games (27-for-41, .529). Juniors Luke Meeteer (3-for-6) and Nick Unes (3-for-5) also had three-hit nights to lead the offense.
 
Senior Sam Koenig was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a home run. Seniors Tell Taylor (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI) and Ryan McShane (2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI) both added a pair of hits, as did junior Mitch Ghelfi (2-for-5, run, 2 RBI), who also threw out an Oakland runner trying to steal to end the game in the ninth and thwart any final rally. Senior Mike Porcaro drove in three.
 
Six different players had two hits for the Grizzlies, with Tyler Pagano adding a home run and three RBI.
 
Senior Joe Pavlovich (7-1) picked up the victory despite a tough night. He allowed eight earned runs in 6.0 innings of work, walking three and striking out three. Senior Justin Jaquish got out of a bases-loaded jam he inherited and finished the game to record his second save. He walked one and struck out three in his 3.0 innings.
 
"Pav wasn't himself today," Doffek said. "I think he was a little out of his routine and I thought they did a good job of swinging the bats."
 
The Panthers fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first but wasted little time in turning the page, stringing together four hits in a row in their half of the frame, with seven consecutive batters reaching at one point.
 
The team quickly tied the contest up on Porcaro's line drive two-run single to center. The lead was then doubled two batters later on Taylor's single. UWM made it 5-2 when each runner advanced on a wild pitch and closed out the scoring at 6-2 on a sacrifice fly.
 
Koenig provided an early highlight, as his home run cleared the 30-foot scoreboard in left field with ease, resulting in his league-leading 15^th round-tripper of the season in the second.
 
Peake legged out an infield hit to plate the first run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ghelfi then greeted the Oakland pitching change roughly, sending the second pitch he saw to the opposite field to plate a pair of runs and extend the UWM advantage to 12-6. Porcaro's groundout brought home another, making the score 13-6, but Oakland would not go away.
 
Five straight Grizzlies reached to start the sixth inning, including a three-run blast to left off the bat of Pagano. Jaquish came on to get out of the jam, but Oakland was within striking distance at 15-10 at the seventh inning stretch. He followed that up with the first 1-2-3 inning of the day in the top of the eighth.
 
With the victory, the Panthers advance to play tomorrow. They will take on the No. 2 seed Wright State, scheduled for a first pitch of 3 p.m.
 
Valparaiso shut out Youngstown State, 8-0, to open the day.