MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team tied the game in the sixth inning and went ahead in the seventh in claiming a 4-1 victory over UIC Saturday afternoon at Henry Aaron Field.
 
The Panthers (17-9, 6-6 Horizon League) were being shutout by Jake Dahlberg and the first-place Flames (14-12-1, 9-4 Horizon League), but eventually broke through to take the important opening game of the series.
 
Senior Sam Koenig had two hits and drove in the tying run, junior Luke Meeteer had two hits, scored twice and stole his league-leading 20^th base and junior Brian Keller allowed just one run in his 6.0 innings of work.
 
Freshman Daulton Varsho also played a key role in the seventh inning when UWM took the lead.
 
"It starts with Brian Keller," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "He gave up some hits early, but he always gives you a chance to win the ballgame. He never panicked and made some big pitches when he had to. You look up in the sixth and it was 1-0 instead of letting that get away and gave our offense a chance to adjust and put some runs on the board."
 
UIC collected three hits in the opening frame, but Keller kept the scoreboard at a zero. The Flames did finally break up the scoreless affair on Jeff Boehm's RBI-single in the third.
 
It stayed that way into the sixth. Milwaukee tied it after Meeteer singled, stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on Koenig's single to center field that came on an 0-2 pitch.
 
An inning later, Varsho doubled in a run with two outs to give the Panthers a slim 2-1 advantage. He then made the play of the game on senior Derek Peake's bunt-single to first base, never stopping at third and sliding in safely at home after beating the UIC throw to the plate from first base.
 
"It starts off with the double," Doffek said. "That was huge to get us the lead. It was just an instinct play. He is a plus-baserunner – I don't know what the watch says, but that kid can run the bases. Peake put down a great bunt and Dalton never hesitated and had a phenomenal slide at the plate."
 
Senior Cal Haley (1-1) picked up the victory with 2.0 scoreless frames. Senior Cody Peterson notched his seventh save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a pair.
 
The teams wrap up the series Sunday, with a doubleheader starting at noon.