MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee baseball team overcame a quick deficit in the first inning and added more insurance runs later in the contest in claiming a 6-2 victory over Chicago State University Tuesday afternoon at Henry Aaron Field.
 
The Panthers (21-20) trailed by a run before batting against the Cougars (10-35) in the bottom of the first, but responded with three runs of their own to take control.
 
Austin Schulfer (2-3) played a key role, allowing just one unearned in his six-inning outing. He scattered five hits, walked three and struck out a season-high seven batters.
 
"I thought Schulf did a nice job. He got a little more comfortable as the game went on," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "It was encouraging to get a couple of big hits in the first inning to give us some cushion. That response was huge. To come up that inning and put three up was huge for a momentum sake."
 
Chicago State took that 1-0 lead after a walk, passed ball, wild pitch and infield groundout. Wasting no time, the Panthers tied the game by the third batter when Cole Heili walked and raced home on Daulton Varsho's double to left center.
 
Varsho then stole third and, after Luke Meeteer was hit by a pitch, the Panthers pulled off the double steal, with Varsho swiping home after the first throw from the pitcher tried to catch Meeteer heading to second. John Boidanis then knocked in Meeteer to make it 3-1.
 
The game stayed that way until the sixth, with the home team adding a pair of runs on Ian Ross' double, the third straight hit to lead off the frame.
 
"We did enough," Doffek said. "I thought Ian Ross, with that big double that he hit, really gave us some breathing room and we took care of it from there."
 
Milwaukee ended the day with nine hits off CSU pitching, with Ross leading the way with a 2-for-4 day where he drove in two. Boidanis also had a pair of hits, drove in one and scored another.
 
Meeteer went 1-for-2 and was hit by a pitch twice, scoring two times and stealing three bases to up his season total to 19.
 
Schulfer got out of his only real jam in the sixth, getting a looking strikeout for the third out after a base hit and pair of walks had loaded the bases.
 
The UWM bullpen then combined on three hitless innings to close it down, with four different pitchers seeing action.
 
The Cougars put together a rally without a hit in the eighth, loading the bases with one out. But, after Cal Haley came on in relief, Varsho picked a runner off third base for out number two and Haley induced a groundout to second to take care of the third out. Jay Peters worked the ninth, recording a pair of strikeouts.
 
Up next, the team is right back at it tomorrow, welcoming Parkside to Henry Aaron Field for a non-league affair set for a first pitch of 3 p.m.