CHICAGO, Ill.  – Aaron Chapman hit an eighth-inning grand slam and the bottom half of the order drove in seven runs as the Milwaukee baseball team opened Horizon League play with a 12-5 win over UIC on Friday afternoon.

The win also marks head coach Scott Doffek's 400th at Milwaukee. 
 
"We got another quality start from AJ [Blubaugh],"  Doffek said. "He made some big pitches in some tight spots early and allowed our guys to get going in the box."
 
AJ Blubaugh earned his third win of the season, holding UIC (5-12, 1-2 Horizon League) to just two runs on five hits across 6.1 innings.
 
Milwaukee (7-8, 1-0 Horizon League) got on the board early as Quinton Morris drove in a pair with two outs in the second to give Blubaugh some room to work.
 
Up 3-1 in the fourth, Tommy Benson lifted a home run to right field and added a two-run single an inning later for a 7-1 lead.
 
The Flames got one back in the seventh, but Nate DeYoung singled in one and Aaron Chapman followed with an exclamation point, lacing a grand slam to left center to put MKE up 12-2.
 
UIC scored a couple late, but James Severson worked a groundout to end it and the Panthers picked up their first win in league play.
 
"Great to see Benson come up with a big home run and a huge two-strike, two-RBI single," Doffek continued. "We had four or five two-out RBIs in the beginning of the game which was huge, and Chapman put it away with the grand slam. He was on all day."
 
Chapman reached base five times and finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored.
 
DeYoung added three hits while Benson drove in three with his two hits.
 
Morris and Conner Goodman also drove in a pair for the Panthers.
 
Game two of the series against UIC originally scheduled for Saturday has been canceled. Sunday's game is pending weather. Live coverage links available on MKEPanthers.com.
 
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