FAIRBORN, Ohio – The Milwaukee baseball team came up just short on Championship Saturday, falling to No. 2 UIC by a final score of 6-5 to finish runner-up at the 2019 Horizon League Baseball Championship.
 
Milwaukee looked to tie the game in its last chance at-bat in the ninth, but a leaping catch against the wall with two outs and a runner on first made by the UIC leftfielder ended the Panthers 2019 season.
 
"This team is super resilient," said Panther head coach Scott Doffek. "They played hard, fought, and it came down to the last strike. Kreiter's ball at the top of the wall probably would have tied the game, but their guy made a great play."
 
Right away in the second inning, Milwaukee's hot-hitting catcher, Tyler Bordner, got the Panthers on the scoreboard first. Entering Saturday's game, the senior came in hitting .667 (10-for-15) and continued the trend when he singled to right field in the second inning to start things off for the Panthers. Bordner would later cross the plate off a double from Jack Thelen for an early 1-0 lead.
 
After six quick outs from starting pitcher Jared Reklaitis, the Panthers extended their lead to three, stringing together five hits for two runs. With one out, the Panthers put together three-straight singles, plating the first Panther run of the inning. Mitchell Buban knocked in Thelen, then Devin Rybacki hit a double off the left field fence for the three-run advantage.
 
Leading 3-0 after three innings of play, Reklaitis had held the potent UIC lineup in check with just one hit until Ryan Hampe recorded the team's second of the game with a two-run home run to come within one.
 
UIC took the lead after five, scoring two for a two-run lead, but Milwaukee bounced back the next half inning to tie it at five all. With the bases loaded, MKE's Trevor Schwecke knocked in RBI four and five of the tournament with a single up the middle scoring Rybacki and Buban before the inning ended.
 
An inning later, UIC's Hampe struck again – this time with a solo home run over the left center field fence to take a 6-5 lead. Reklaitis held UIC to just the one run and struck out the final batter of the inning, setting a new Milwaukee single season strikeout record with 104 strikeouts.
 
"I thought Reklaitis threw exceptionally well, especially on short rest," said Doffek. "There were a couple balls that fell in by misfortune, and gave a couple of home runs to Hampe which you have to give him some credit on as well."
 
In the top of the eighth, Milwaukee looked to score with runners at first and second with one out, but Horizon League's 2019 Relief Pitcher of the Year Alex Padilla was able to double up the Panthers to end the inning and hold MKE scoreless.
 
The Panthers looked to extend its tournament life when Bordner drew a two-out walk and Kreiter hit a line shot to left field, but UIC ended all hopes of a comeback when Thomas Smart jumped and caught Kreiter's line drive off up against the wall. 
 
Milwaukee wraps up the 2019 season 35-21-1 and will say goodbye to 11 seniors.
 
"Those 11 seniors mean a lot," said Doffek. "They're just great human beings. You can't replace those kind of people."
 
2019 Horizon League Baseball All-Tournament Team
Ryan Hampe, UIC (MVP)
Ryan Lin-Peistrup, UIC
Scott Ota, UIC
Alex Padilla, UIC
Tyler Bordner, Milwaukee
Joe Vyskocil, Milwaukee
Devin Rybacki, Milwaukee
Mike Edwards, Milwaukee
Tyler Black, Wright State
Seth Gray, Wright State
Peyton Burdick, Wright State