UW-Milwaukee Downs Butler in Horizon League Baseball Championship

May 25, 2005

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Aaron Sorenson pitched seven strong innings and Mike Goetz had an early bases-clearing triple to propel third-seed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a 7-5 victory over sixth-seed Butler University Wednesday in the second game of the 2005 Horizon League Baseball Championship at Victory Field,


With the win, the Panthers (23-29) advance to face second-seed Youngstown State University Thursday at 3 p.m. Indianapolis local time, while Butler will meet fifth-seed Cleveland State University in an elimination game at 11 a.m.


Sorenson (9-3), who was named the League's Newcomer of the Year Tuesday, struck out five and allowed only three hits and one earned run in tying the UWM single-season record with his ninth victory.


After Butler (19-34) opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning, Goetz gave UW-Milwaukee the lead for good with a three-run triple to right-center in the third and then scored on Jeremy Wilson's sacrifice fly for a 4-1 Panthers lead. Butler responded with a run in the fifth when Brandon Tormoehlen came home on Alex Rinearson's sacrifice fly but the Bulldogs left the bases loaded.


UW-Milwaukee came right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning when the Panthers loaded the bases with no outs and cashed in with an RBI single by Charlie Reschke for a 5-2 lead. After Butler starter Craig Costello was pulled with one out, Brooks Graff greeted reliever Jon Dages one out later with a double down that the left-field line that scored Blake Kangas and Zak Rivera.


Butler's Matt Martino stroked a three-run pinch-hit home run to right center off UWM reliever Rob Brockel in the eighth to cut the final margin to 7-5. It was Martino's second homer of the season.


Costello (5-6), who had pitched a no-hitter against UW-Milwaukee a year ago and was 3-0 with a 3.90 earned-run average against Horizon League teams this spring, allowed seven runs and 11 hits in four innings.


Graff was 3-for-4 for the game to lead a 14-hit attack that saw three others UWM players contribute two hits apiece. Horizon League Player of the Year Dale Mueller was 2-for-5 for Butler, which managed just five hits.


Thursday's nightcap will feature top-seed and regular-season champion University of Illinois at Chicago against fourth-seed Wright State University at 7 p.m.

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WP-Aaron Sorenson (9-3)LP-Craig Costello (9-6)HR-Matt Martino (2)Time-2:11