MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee baseball team was unable to keep their recent hot streak going, falling in both games of a doubleheader to Valparaiso Saturday afternoon on "Senior Day" at Henry Aaron Field.
 
The Panthers (21-30, 11-16 Horizon League) were unable to pick up any ground in the Horizon League standings against the Crusaders (22-27, 11-14 Horizon League), falling by scores of 11-3 in the opener and 7-4 in the nightcap.
 
"Early in game one we came out flat for whatever reason," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "They tacked on early and we did not pitch well. They really swung the bats well, I have to give them a lot of credit. When you give up big numbers, it's hard not to be flat. And in the second game, we could just not get over the hump."
 
Valpo got a pair of strong starting pitching performances from Mario Losi and Jon Tieman, keeping the Milwaukee offense off-track in the twinbill.
 
In game two, the Panthers rallied late, getting the tying run on base in the ninth before falling.
 
John Boidanis homered to get Milwaukee on the board in the fourth and an RBI-single by Billy Quirke made it 4-2 at the time.
 
Valpo got two back on a home run by James Stea in the top of the sixth, with Mike Jordahl's long home run to center in the bottom of the frame drawing UWM back to within 6-3.
 
In the ninth, Daulton Varsho knocked in a run with a single and a Boidanis base knock loaded the bases and brought the go-ahead run to the plate. That was as close as the Panthers would get, falling 7-4.
 
The team collected 11 hits, led by two each from Trevor Schwecke and Boidanis. Every other starter had one base hit. Matt Vanek (2.0 scoreless innings) and Jake Sommers (1.0 IP) shut the Crusader offense down late. Stea led the visitors with a 5-RBI performance.
 
In the opener, the Panthers allowed six runs in the fourth and could never recover. Schwecke drove in two and Ian Ross went 3-for-3, scoring twice, but it was not enough. Boidanis also had a two-hit effort.
 
Boidanis looked to have a home run in the sixth inning that would have gotten UWM back in the game, but Valpo leftfielder Riley Dent robbed the home run from over the fence and kept momentum with his team.
 
"Their kid made a great play that would have gotten us back in the game," Doffek said. "But, same as yesterday, you give up a big inning like that and the margin for error – you have to be perfect."
 
Austin Schulfer (6-5) suffered the loss, allowing six earned runs in 3.2 innings. He struck out a pair but walked three.
 
Up next is the final home game of the season, welcoming Northern Illinois to Henry Aaron Field for a Tuesday matinee starting at 3 p.m. The game will be televised live on Spectrum Sports in the Milwaukee area.