CHICAGO, Ill. – The Milwaukee baseball team bounced back from an early hole to claim a 5-4 victory over UIC on a cold and windy Sunday afternoon at Curtis Granderson Stadium.
 
The Panthers used a four-run third inning and a long stretch of scoreless work out of the bullpen to bounce back with consecutive wins after the Flames took the opening doubleheader Friday.
 
"Those were some brutal conditions to play baseball in and for the guys to be able to maintain focus and defend like that is impressive," head coach Scott Doffek said.
 
Relief pitching was the key, with Andy Neu (3.0 IP/3K), Adam LaRock (2.0 IP/2K), and James Severson (1.0 IP/K/SV) combining to hold UIC to just one run over the final six frames to split the weekend series at two games apiece.
 
"We jumped out there in the third and held on," Doffek said. "Neu did a good job of gapping that game and really making some big pitches when he had to and LaRock was really solid in the seventh and the eighth."
 
Zach Nogalski, who missed the first seven games of the season due to COVID protocols, paced the offense with a big day at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. Ty Olejnik also reached base three times in four at bats, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
 
"Great to have Nogs back in the lineup, that's for sure," Doffek said. "Really proud of the guys with the way they competed all weekend."
 
Neu was big, coming on in the fourth and immediately getting out of a bases-loaded/one out jam with a pair of strikeouts that stranded all three Flames. He worked a 1-2-3 fifth and also got in and out of a jam in the sixth inning.
 
After allowing a leadoff hit, LaRock retired five in a row and Severson finished off the ninth for his first save.
 
The deciding frame came in the top of the third when the Milwaukee put together four runs on four hits to take the 5-3 advantage. Olejnik singled to start it and was sent all the way around on Luke Seidel's RBI-triple that came next. A walk to Marcus Cline followed and Nogalski made the most of the situation, driving in a pair with a double down the right field line. Two outs later, Mike Ferri tacked on another with a double to right center on an 0-2 pitch.
 
The Panthers got on board with a run in the second when Jack Thelen walked, stole third and came home on Jack Cavanaugh's sac fly, but fell behind in the bottom of the frame when UIC struck for three runs.
 
Up next, Horizon League play rolls on with a weekend series at Northern Kentucky. First pitch of the opener is set for Friday at 11 a.m. CST.