Milwaukee and Youngstown State Win on First Day of #HLBB Championship

Horizon League Baseball Championship Scoreboard (May 21):
(4) Milwaukee 4, (5) Oakland 2
(6) Youngstown State 7, (3) Valparaiso 1

Horizon League Baseball Championship Schedule for May 22:
11 a.m. - (5) Oakland vs. (3) Valparaiso
3 p.m. - (4) Milwaukee vs. (2) UIC
7 p.m. - (6) Youngstown State vs. (1) Wright State

(4) Milwaukee 4, (5) Oakland 2
Milwaukee won the opening game of the 2014 Horizon League Baseball Championship on Wednesday afternoon as the Panthers used a three-run seventh inning to take a 4-2 win over Oakland at Kapco Park.

Oakland had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh, but Derek Peake, UWM’s leadoff batter in the bottom part of the inning, hit a double and advanced to the third on a fielding error to immediately get the Panthers in business. After a fly out and a hit by pitch, the Horizon League Player of the Year, Ryan Solberg, hit a double down the right field line to score Peake to tie the score at two. Pat Wilson followed with a single to score Mitch Ghelfi and give the Panthers a 3-2 lead. UWM extended the lead to two runs with a Tyler Hermann sacrifice fly to score Solberg.

Oakland scored both of its runs thanks to clutch hitting by its First-Team All-Horizon League outfielder Robby Enslen. The junior singled in the top of the fifth inning with two outs to score Spencer Marentette and tie the game at 1. In the seventh inning, Enslen once again singled with two outs to score Marentette for the second time.

Milwaukee opened the score in the bottom of the fourth inning when 2013 Horizon League Player of the Year Mike Porcaro singled to score Wilson.

Milwaukee’s Tyler Thicke pitched a complete game to secure the win. The senior struck out six, while scattering seven hits. It was the first complete game of the season for Thicke as the deepest he’d gone into a game this season previously was six innings.

Ghelfi, Porcaro and Wilson all had two hits for the Panthers to lead the offense. Enslen was the top performer for the Golden Grizzlies as the junior outfielder went 3-for-4 at the plate.

Hager took the loss Oakland. The senior went 6.1 innings, allowing nine hits and four earned runs, while striking out four.

(6) Youngstown State 7, (3) Valparaiso 3
Youngstown State was strong at the plate and on the mound in its Horizon League Baseball Championship opener as the Penguins knocked off third-seed Valparaiso, 7-3, at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis.

The Penguins outhit the Crusaders, 14-4, in the ball game, with five pitchers combining to limit the Valpo batters to .143 batting average.

Youngstown State struck first as the Penguins scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Kevin Hix and Shane Willoughby led off with back-to-back singles. After Lorenzo Arcuri laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up, Phil Lipari ripped a single to centerfield to score Hix. Alex Larivee then doubled to right center field to score Willoughby and YSU had a 2-0 lead.

The Penguins added to their lead in the seventh inning when they had four-of-five consecutive at-bats go for extra base hits. Arcuri started with a double and scored when Lipari slugged a two-run home run over the right field wall. Larivee followed with his second double of the game, and after a foul out, scored when Matt Sullivan doubled to deep right center field.

YSU bats did not cool off in the eighth inning as Kurt Laver hit a one-out double – YSU’s fifth double of the day – to drive in two runs and give the Penguins a 7-1 lead.

The Crusaders mounted a final comeback in the eighth inning, loading the bases with one out, but could only push across two runs before YSU got out of the inning.

Valpo got on the board in the fifth inning, cutting YSU’s lead to 2-1, courtesy of an Andy Burns home run.

YSU was led by Lipari who finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and three RBI. Hix, Larivee and Sullivan all had multi-hit games for the Penguins as well, as nine different YSU batters had a hit.

Jared Wight picked up the win for YSU as the starter went four innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. The YSU bullpen combined to go five innings and allowing just one hit.

Cole Webb took the loss for the Crusaders. The senior right-hander went 6.2 innings, allowing 12 hits, five earned runs and struck out six.