NILES, Ohio - Brian Keller settled in on the mound after the first inning and the Milwaukee baseball team scored seven unanswered runs to take control in handing Youngstown State University a 10-3 loss Friday at Eastwood Field.
 
The Panthers (8-11, 1-0 Horizon League) took the lead in the fourth inning and never looked back, handing the Penguins (5-13, 0-4 Horizon League) a loss in their 2016 home opener in the process.
 
"I was really happy with our at bats today," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "You could see our guys were really focused in their approach. It was a good team win."
 
Keller (3-3) settled in after a rough first inning where he issued three walks. He got in a groove after YSU got off to a 2-0 lead, facing the minimum from the final out of the first inning until a one-out single in the fifth.
 
He ended the day allowing just five hits and those two runs in 6.0 innings of work. He walked three and struck out five.
 
"Brian had another quality start after he settled in," Doffek said. "That was a strange first inning because he was throwing the ball well too. Just some great at bats by their kids."
 
The 2-3-4 hitters in the UWM lineup went a combined 6-for-12, scoring six of the 10 runs in the contest. Billy Quirke was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, Daulton Varsho was 2-for-4 (2R/RBI) and Luke Meeteer also had a two-hit day and stole two bases.
 
Kyle Benyo had an impressive 4-for-4 day to pace the Penguins.
 
Down 2-0, the Panthers jumped back ahead in the top of the fourth, helped along by a YSU error in addition to a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly. A hit batter and a single by Varsho started the rally. The first run scored on an error with Meeteer at the plate to get things started. Meeteer then stole second and was plated along with Varsho on Nick Unes' single and Cole Heili's sac fly to make it 3-2 in UWM's favor.
 
Milwaukee tacked on from there. Four runs in the seventh put it away, with Solberg singling to drive in a run, Varsho adding a sac fly of his own and Meeteer doubling in Quirke.
 
Cal Haley worked the final three innings, giving up one run on four hits, walking no one and striking out three.
 
Up next, the teams return to Eastwood Field for a doubleheader to close out the series tomorrow, set for a game one first pitch of 10 a.m. CST.