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Long to the rescue with walk-off single
Panthers split doubleheader
By Mike Kennedy
After weather forced the series to be played in Chicago, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team split two games against Cleveland St. in a doubleheader on Saturday.
In the first game, the Panthers (8-21, 3-5 Horizon) fell to a large deficit early after the Vikings (12-13, 4-4 Horizon) had a five run second inning. A homerun, two doubles and a single put Cleveland St. up 5-0 after two innings and the Panthers wouldn’t earn their first run until the fourth inning after CSU had extended its lead, 6-0.
Brad Lusti started on the mound for the Panthers, and despite the five run fifth inning, head coach Scott Doffek decided to stick with the right hander. Lusti went 7 2/3 giving up just eight hits and only walking one.
The Panthers used a steady pace of hits and runs throughout the final four innings to climb back into the game, two runs off of four hits in the sixth cut the Viking lead to two, 6-4. Another two hits led to two runs in the seventh with the help of a lead-off homer by first baseman Shawn Wozniak, tying the game 6-6.
Craig Meier pitched ninth inning after striking out the final batter in the eighth, and despite giving up two hits catcher Shaun Wegner had his back by throwing a man out at second on an attempted steal and picking another off at first to keep the game tied.
Nick Wichser doubled to start the bottom of the ninth inning and a single by Ben Long drove in Wichser for the deciding run, giving the Panthers a comeback win 7-6.
The second game was just a little different for each team, as the two combined for a total of 41 hits and 42 runs as the Panthers dropped the second game 24-18.
UWM used five pitchers in the outing, allowing runs in all but one inning. The Panthers led after only the first inning when it was 2-1. Andy Hetebrueg started on the mound for Milwaukee, going 4 2/3 but allowing 12 runs and striking out four.
Down 17-11 after six innings, Milwaukee shut down the Vikings in the seventh, then used two hits to put two more runs on the board, cutting the lead to four, 17-13.
Cleveland St. added five runs in the eighth inning to take a commanding lead and all but seal the deal going into the ninth after the Panthers came up empty in the bottom of the eighth.
Another two CSU runs in the ninth set the bar high for another Panther comeback, but the Panthers had an answer. With five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning the comeback fell just short, ending in a big loss for the Panthers.
Milwaukee will see their first home action of the season on Tuesday against Bradley before two back-to-back doubleheaders on Saturday at Cleveland St. and Sunday at Youngstown St.
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