Thursday State Sports Briefs: UWM upset in first round of Horizon League tourney

• UW-Milwaukee

UW-Milwaukee

Talk about it

DAYTON - UW-Milwaukee was upset yesterday in the first round of the Horizon League baseball tournament. The third-seeded Panthers fell to Number-six Youngstown State 4-2 in Dayton Ohio.

UWM starter Chad Pierce – who was named this week as the league’s Pitcher-of-the-Year – did not give up a run in the first seven innings. He didn’t get much support from his offense, as Milwaukee struck out 10 times in eight innings against Penguins’ starter Phil Klein. The Panthers left the tying run on base in the ninth. Doug Dekoning flied out with two on to end the game. Milwaukee dropped to 27-27-1 overall. They’ll play Butler this morning – and if they lose, UWM will be eliminated.

____________________________________________________

The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team confirmed yesterday that it’s adding two walk-ons for next season. They are forward Zach Bohannon, the younger brother of former Badgers’ guard Jason Bohannon – and guard Jordan Smith, who went to the same Minnesota high school as Badgers’ standout Jon Leuer. Both additions were reported earlier. Bohannon is transferring from the Air Force, and he must sit out for a year under the NCAA’s transfer rules. He’ll have two years of eligibility starting in the fall of 2012. Smith led Orono High School to Minnesota’s Class Triple-“A” state title in his senior year – and he’s the school’s all-time leading scorer with 25-hundred-18 points. The Badgers say the walk-ons have filled out their roster for this fall.

____________________________________________________

Former University of Wisconsin hockey defenseman Brian Rafalski is retiring after 11 seasons in the NHL. He said injuries and family matters were his main reasons for calling it a career. The 37-year-old Rafalski played his first seven NHL seasons with the New Jersey Devils, and his last four with the Detroit Red Wings. His teams won three Stanley Cup titles – two with the Devils in 2000 and 2003, and one with the Red Wings in 2008. Rafalski is also a two-time NHL All-Star. And he was named the best defenseman in the 2000 Olympics, where the U.S. earned a silver medal. Rafalski played for the Badgers from 1991-to-’95.

______________________________________________________

Wisconsin’s only entry was eliminated yesterday from the NCAA Division-One men’s singles tennis tournament. University of Wisconsin senior Marek Michalicka lost to 17th-ranked Austin Krajicek of Texas A&M in their first-round match 6-7, 7-6, 6-2. Michalicka, a native of the Czech Republic, ends his Wisconsin career with 97 singles’ victories. His winning percentage of .735 is the second-highest in Badger history, behind Jack Waite’s mark of .736 from 1988-through-’91.

Tags: wisconsin sports, sports, proam