FRANKLIN, Wis. – The Milwaukee baseball team opened the final home series of its 2023 regular season against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons and fell to its guest in a one-run game by a 4-3 score at Franklin Field on Thursday.
 
The Panthers trailed by three runs after the top of the third inning but answered back with one run in the bottom of the inning to trim the deficit to two. The Mastodons added an insurance run in the top of the sixth that proved to be the winning run as the Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth, but it was not enough in the one-run loss.
 
"It was disappointing to not get a result there," said head coach Scott Doffek post game. "I thought Riley [Frey] pitched well enough to get some momentum for us but unfortunately just a couple of unlucky breaks early and they got the lead."
 
Riley Frey got the start for the Panthers and went the first four innings while allowing three runs to go along with five strikeouts. Nick Gilhaus did not allow an earned run over his five innings of relief as he scattered just two runs and a walk while striking out six Mastodons.
 
Despite Milwaukee outhitting the Mastodons by a 9-7 margin, the Panthers had several chances with hard hit balls with Purdue Fort Wayne making several plays in the field to limit the Milwaukee chances.
 
"We did not catch the breaks today, but you need to make your own breaks too," added Doffek. "That means you have to be checking off your fundamentals and playing clean baseball and there's been a couple things here or there that catch up with you, but we weren't fortunate there with our luck but that's the beauty of tomorrow."
 
The top six batters in Milwaukee's lineup each had at least one hit, led by Nate DeYoung who ended the game with a pair of double and drove in two runs while also scoring a run. Mark Connelly also added a double, while Ty Olejnik had a walk, single, reached on a wild pitch and scored two of the Panther runs.
 
Both teams had one baserunner in their respective halves of the opening inning before Purdue Fort Wayne broke through in the top of the second with two runs on three hits. A leadoff double cost Milwaukee one more run in the top of the third as the Mastodons opened a three-run advantage.
 
Olejnik struck out swinging with two down in the bottom of the third but reached on a wild pitch. Up next was DeYoung, who doubled into the right centerfield gap to chase Olejnik around from first for the first Panther run of the game.
 
Frey ended his day on a high note with a 1-2-3 fourth inning on a pair of ground balls before winning a nine-pitch battle to strike out the final batter of the frame.
 
In Gilhaus' first inning of work, he struck out the side on 15 pitched to bring the Panthers back up to bat. In the bottom of the inning, Jack Thelen singled to lead off the inning but was later picked off to end the early rally attempt.
 
After a one-out walk in the sixth, an error and a passed ball allowed Purdue Fort Wayne to score its fourth run in the top of the sixth to take a 4-1 lead.
 
Milwaukee got another two runners on in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out single off the bat of Aaron Chapman, before Connelly walked but the Panthers were unable to break through.
 
After a scoreless seventh inning, Olejnik got the bottom of the eighth started with a hit by pitch before DeYoung doubled to chase Olejnik home. Two batters later, Connelly doubled to score DeYoung with the third Panther run to slice the deficit to one.
 
Olejnik was in the middle of the action again in the ninth inning with a two-out infield single and moved up to second on a wild pitch but was stranded there as the Mastodons picked up the 4-3 win.
 
Milwaukee and Purdue Fort Wayne will meet again on Friday afternoon, when the teams meet in game two of the series at 12:00 p.m. at Franklin Field.