May 15, 2000

Milwaukee - The UWM baseball team took two of four games against Cleveland State to secure a tie for the MCC regular season title. The Panthers and UIC finished with identical 12-6 records, and UWM was awarded the top seed on a tiebreaker.

UWM will play No. 6 Detroit on Thursday morning in Dayton, Ohio, site of the tournament. If the Panthers win their first four games of the double-elimination tournament, they will win the MCC Championship and the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.

In the four-game series against Cleveland State, the Vikings won the first game, 9-4, and the last game, 10-4, but UWM swept the doubleheader on Saturday, 7-2, and 11-1.

Scott Gillitzer (Prairie du Chien, Wis./Prairie du Chien) led the Panther offense in the two wins. The junior shortstop belted four home runs to take over the team lead this season (11).

Andy Neary (Oconomowoc, Wis./Oconomowoc) moved into a tie for most wins in a season (8) and in a career (20) when he pitched a complete-game three hitter against the Vikings. He struck out 10 and walked none as he retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced in the 7-2 win.

In the 11-1 win, Darin Haugom (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton), Steve Tylke (Greenfield, Wis./Greenfield) and Gillitzer hit back-to-back home runs on three consecutive pitches in the fifth inning. Quintin Oldenburg (Appleton, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) held the Viking scoreless for six innings as the Panthers built an 11-0 lead. Cleveland State scored one run in the bottom of the seventh for the final score.