CHICAGO, Ill. - Jay Peters threw his third complete game in a row to lead the Milwaukee baseball team to a 3-1 victory over UIC in the opener of a doubleheader Saturday at Granderson Stadium.
 
"Jay Peters was just outstanding in the opener," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "That's a good lineup right there and keeping them off balance is not easy. We also got some timely hits, which was huge."
 
The Panthers (17-27, 7-14 Horizon League) led the Flames (32-12, 18-5 Horizon League) early in game two, but a big fourth-inning rally helped UIC to the split on the day.
 
"In game two, we beat ourselves," Doffek said. "We have to defend better than that if you want to beat UIC. Again, we jumped out to a lead, but it's going to be tough to beat a good team when you give up a six-spot in one inning."
 
Peters (7-1) continued his terrific run, recording the victory in his fifth appearance in a row in a dominating performance. He held the most potent offense in the Horizon League to just one run on six hits, taking a shutout into the ninth inning before finally allowing a run.
 
Peters struck out eight and has not lost a decision dating back to March 25. He has thrown all 27 innings of his past three starts, allowing just three earned runs while striking out 25 batters in the stretch.
 
Mike Jordahl gave Peters a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, doubling down the right field line to score Ben Chally, who had singled with one out.
 
In the sixth, an error gave UWM a baserunner and Daulton Varsho followed with a double. John Boidanis then came through with another big two-out hit, singling to center on the first pitch he saw to make it 3-0.
 
That would be all Peters would need, just missing the shutout when the Flames scored with two outs in the ninth inning.
 
In game two, it looked like Milwaukee was on its way to a sweep, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on RBI-singles from Dylan Detert and Mike Ferri.
 
But, a huge UIC rally followed, plating six run on five hits, helped along by a pair of UWM errors to take control.
 
Jacob Key (6-0) remained perfect on the season, allowing two runs in 6.0 innings of work. The Panther offense was limited to five hits, with Chally (2-for-4) the only batter with a multi-hit outing.
 
There's no rest for Milwaukee, returning home tonight to welcome Northern Kentucky to Henry Aaron Field tomorrow. Game one starts at 12 noon.