TUCSON, Ariz. – The Milwaukee baseball team erased an early five-run deficit to tie the game, only to see Arizona score the final eight runs of the night to take a 14-6 victory in the series opener Friday at Hi Corbett Field.
 
"I was certainly encouraged by our fight throughout the game, but we didn't play very fundamental through the first five innings," head coach Scott Doffek said. "That's the first time those guys had been in that type of environment. You have to live through it, so from that point of view it was productive."
 
The Panthers (5-2) made it a new game with a five-run fifth inning. The Wildcats (7-3) went back ahead with a run in the bottom of the fifth and then took advantage of four walks and two hit batters to take control, plating five runs on just one hit in the decisive sixth inning.
 
"We beat ourselves on the mound there in the sixth and seventh," Doffek said. "Growing pains for sure. They will be better moving forward. Very encouraged by the fight in these guys."
 
Milwaukee collected 10 hits on the night, led by two apiece from Devin Rybacki (2-for-4/R/RBI), Joe Vyskocil (2-for-4/R/RBI) and Matt Quartel (2-for-4/2R). Mitchell Buban and Trevor Schwecke each drove in a pair.
 
Down 3-0 early, MKE got on the board on a Buban sac fly in the third. The hole got a bit deeper in the third and a Wildcat home run extended their lead to 6-1 after four innings.
 
Down, but not out, Milwaukee rallied with a huge fifth inning. Mike Ferri doubled and was knocked in by a Vyskocil single. After a Quartel single, Rybacki plated Vyskocil with a single through the right side. Buban then doubled down the line to add another run to the scoring column and Schwecke greeted the new pitcher with a single to right center that scored two and deadlocked the game at 6-6.
 
Unable to hold them there, Arizona led 7-6 heading into the sixth. A pair of walks and back-to-back hit batters started the scoring and two more bases-loaded walks followed. The Panthers could never get back on track, totaling just four baserunners over the final four innings.
 
Jared Reklaitis (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs in 4.1 innings. He walked two and struck out six.
 
The two teams are back at it tomorrow, set for a first pitch of 7 p.m. CST.