No. 3 Valpo, No. 4 Wright State to Meet on Championship Sunday

Horizon League Baseball Tournament Scores
No. 3 Valparaiso 6, No. 1 Milwaukee 4
No. 4 Wright State 11, No. 1 Milwaukee 6

NILES, Ohio -- The top-seeded Milwaukee Panthers fell twice on Saturday, setting the table for a Championship Sunday matchup between No. 3 Valparaiso and No. 4 Wright State.

No. 3 Valparaiso 6, No. 1 Milwaukee 4
The Crusaders rode a masterful pitching performance by Chris DeBoo and hung on late as No. 3 Valparaiso upset No. 1 Milwaukee 6-4 to advance to Championship Sunday of the Horizon League baseball tournament.

DeBoo allowed just one earned run and one walk on 7.0 innings, scattering seven hits and recording five strikeouts. The fifth-year senior picked up his fifth win of the season.

As impressive as DeBoo's effort was, Tyler Thicke may have been even more impressive for Milwaukee. Thicke allowed just four hits, one earned run and one walk in 6.2 innings of work, recording three strikeouts. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Thicke was pitching in relief of starter Cole Tassi, who lasted just 0.2 inning while allowing three hits, five runs (two earned) and two walks with no strikeouts.

Valparaiso put up five runs against Tassi in the top of the first inning, starting when Andrew Bain scored on a wild pitch. Tanner Vavra advanced to third on the play and then scored on a safety squeeze as Chris Manning laid down a bunt and Vavra beat the toss home.

After a walk load the bases, John Loeffler scored on what could have been a 5-2-3 double play when the throw home sailed well over the catcher's head for an error. Manning then scored on a sac fly by Billy Cribbs that was caught in foul territory by the Milwaukee second baseman.

The final run of the inning score when Bain -- who had led off the game with a single and scored the contest's first run -- hit an RBI single to left field, driving in Spencer Mahoney and chasing Tassi from the ballgame. On his first pitch in relief, Thicke induced a chopper to the mound to finally end the frame.

Milwaukee's best comeback attempt came in the bottom of the eighth inning when Nick Lingvay scored on a groundout and Jonathan Capasso scored on a two-out error, prompting Valpo skipper Tracy Woodson to call upon closer Karch Kowalczyk for a four-out save.

Kowalczyk immediately induced a pop up on the infield but the ball was lost in the sun and dropped in for a hit, allowing Sam Koenig to score all the way from second and cut the Valpo lead to 6-3. Kowalczyk got a flyout to end the inning, however, and pitched a quiet ninth seal the win despite a two-out error and a walk.

The Panthers got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning when Mitch Ghelfi dropped a double down the left-field line, driving in Michael Porcaro. Valpo got the run back in the top of the eighth when Cribbs drove in Mahoney with an RBI single.

With the win, Valparaiso advances to Championship Sunday and is one win away from back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament. Milwaukee would have to play No. 4 Wright State late Saturday afternoon for the right to face the Crusaders in the Horizon League championship.

No. 4 Wright State 11, No. 1 Milwaukee 6
The Raiders sent 13 men to the plate in an eight-run fourth inning, providing all the offense No. 4 Wright State would need for a ?-? upset win to knock No. 1 Milwaukee out of the Horizon League baseball tournament.

Mark Fowler drove in the first run of the fourth by taking a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch. Cody Gardner then drove in two runs with a single to center field before he and Fowler scored on Justin Kopale's double.

Kopale advanced the third on a wild pitch and, after a walk and a pitching change, scored when Michael Picchiotti's suicide squeeze bunt was misplayed. Picchiotti and Jeff Limbaugh scored the inning's final two runs on a single to left by Keiston Greene.

Taking advantage of the run support, sophomore lefty Cody Kopilchack tossed 5.2 innings of four-hit baseball, allowing three runs (two earned) and five walks while recording nine strikeouts.

Milwaukee scored first in the ballgame on Mitch Ghelfi's suicide squeeze bunt that scored Luke Meeteer. The Panthers then chipped away at Wright State's lead throughout the ballgame, including two runs in the sixth inning on an infield RBI single by Michael Pocaro and a run-scoring throwing error on the same play.

After Wright State added a run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Gardner, a three-run bottom half drew Milwaukee within 9-6. Back-to-back-to-back singles with one out loaded the bases before Alex Erdmann sac fly drove in Jonathon Capasso. Derek Peake and Meeteer then recorded back-to-back RBI singles up the middle, but new Wright State pitcher Joey Hoelzel induced a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Milwaukee had chances to put more runs on the board but often could not capitalize. The Panthers stranded 15 baserunners in the ballgame, including leaving the bases loaded three times. Wright State, meanwhile, added a pair of huge insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning on RBI singles by Fowler and Kopale.

With the loss, No. 1 Milwaukee is eliminated for the Horizon League baseball tournament. No. 4 Wright State will meet No. 3 Valparaiso on Championship Sunday, needing two wins to advance to the NCAA Tournament.