FRANKLIN, Wis. – In the team's first home night game of the season, the Milwaukee baseball team was edged by the Northern Illinois Huskies by a 3-2 score at Franklin Field.
 
The Panthers had an early 1-0 lead, but a three-run home run by the Huskies in the top of the sixth proved to be the difference in the game. Milwaukee pulled back within one with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, but it was not enough as it was Northern Illinois to hang on for the win.
 
"We were passive at the plate," said head coach Scott Doffek. "We were just not nearly competitive enough deep in the count, and it caught us." Doffek added, "We made one bad pitch in that spot and he hit's a three-run home run and that's the game."
 
Milwaukee was unable to get anything going on offense with just three hits and three walks on the day. Aaron Chapman hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth, while Justin Hausser and Nate DeYoung both had doubles. Luke Seidel walked twice as Mark Connelly also walked and scored a run for the Panthers on offense.
 
Seven pitchers made their way to the mound for the Panthers, with Curtis Sheahan getting the start and tossed a hitless first inning. Luke Hansel came on and worked around a one-out walk before getting out of the second.
 
Hausser doubled to the opposite field to lead off the bottom of the second but only made it to third on a ground ball before being stranded 90 feet away.
 
Keagon Kaufmann was next to throw for the Panthers and allowed a pair of singles with one down in the third but got out of the inning unscathed with a ground ball double play.
 
The Panthers broke through in the fourth as Connelly walked on five pitches and three batters later scored on a double off the bat of DeYoung that hit the top of the wall in left field to score the opening run of the game.
 
Adrian Montilva came on in the top of the fifth with one on and two down and picked off the runner trying to steal to end the inning. Montilva walked the first batter in the sixth before Sam Mathews came on and got the first out of the inning before allowing a single and home run as Northern Illinois took a 3-1 lead.
 
Three batters into the bottom of the sixth, Milwaukee got back within one run as Chapman connected on his team-leading sixth home run of the year.
 
Mathews kept the Huskies in check with a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh including a pair of strikeouts before Johnny Kelliher and Mike Sullivan combined to retire Northern Illinois in the eighth. Sullivan pitched through the ninth to close out the top of the inning.
 
The Panther offense was just not able to get going following the Chapman home run against the Huskie pitching staff and ultimately fell by one run to its non-conference opponent.
 
Milwaukee will look to right the ship on Friday, when the team welcomes in Oakland for a 6:00 p.m. start at Franklin Field against the Golden Grizzlies to open a three-game Horizon League series.