YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – In its last regular-season series, the Milwaukee baseball team edged out Youngstown State, 11-10 in game one Thursday afternoon from Eastwood Field.
 
Milwaukee (31-18-1, 17-10) erupted for all 11 runs in the first four innings of the game and took advantage of four Penguin (12-38, 6-18) errors within those innings – leading to eight unearned runs. YSU, however, chipped away at the Panther lead and came within one run in the bottom of the ninth, but Panther closer Jake Sommers closed the door and picked up his league leading ninth save.
 
Senior catcher Tyler Bordner stroked his sixth home run of the season in the first inning to give the Panthers an early 3-0 lead. In what should have been an inning ending groundout for the Penguins after Joe Vyskocil reached on the error, Bordner took advantage of the error and 1-0 count for the three-run advantage.
 
YSU answered back with two runs in the second, but Milwaukee got the two back, plus four the next inning.
 
The Panthers scored a total of six runs on five hits and one Penguin error to jump out to a 9-2 lead in the top of the third. In the inning, the Panthers hit four extra base hits to manufacture all six runs. Mike Ferri started the inning with a double to left field and then followed by a Bordner triple, but not before Trevor Schwecke singled to score Ferri. After Bordner's triple, sophomore Zach Nogalski hit his first triple of the season, while Mitchell Buban doubled down the left field line scoring Nogalski.
 
The scoring didn't stop there when Schwecke led off the top of the fourth with a solo home run to extend the Panther lead. Jack Thelen added another run with a single to the shortstop and ended the inning with a commanding 11-2 advantage.
 
YSU picked up two runs in the fourth, and two runs between the sixth and seven innings before storming back in the in their last-chance at-bats in the ninth.
 
With one swing of the bat, Youngstown came within two runs when Jeff Wehler doubled, clearing all three runners who reached by way of walk and hit by pitch. Trevor Wiersma followed with an RBI single to come within one run, but Sommers ended the game by getting Drew Dickerson to strike out looking and hold on to win it, 11-10.
 
Jared Reklaitis improved to 8-4 pitching six innings while scattering eight hits with two strikeouts.
 
The Panthers racked up a total of 12 hits with four Panthers with multi-hit performances. Tyler Bordner led the charge with a 3-for-5, four RBI performance.
 
Game two of the series will begin at 10 a.m. (CT) Friday from Eastwood Field.