MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee baseball team was unable to finish a three-game sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday as the Mastodons erased a 5-1 Panther lead with eight unanswered runs to win 9-5.
 
The Mastodons biggest inning came with five runs in the sixth as Luke Miles' two-run single put Purdue Fort Wayne ahead at 6-5. The late outburst supported reliever Kevin Fee, who did not allow a run over his 4 2/3 innings of work.
 
"We talk about it all the time, if you're going to give the other team the freebies with walks and hit batters that's going to cost us, and it ultimately did in that sixth inning," said head coach Shaun Wegner. "They got their share of hits in that innings, but we did it to ourselves in this one."
 
Milwaukee outhit Purdue Fort Wayne 11-8 including a three-hit day from Justin Hausser, which included his first home run of the season. The Panthers also got two more hits off the bat of Tyler Bickers, while Zach Lane had one hit and led the Panthers with three RBIs including a two-run double in the bottom of the third.
 
"I thought we swung the bats really well today, but a tip of the cap to Fee, he came in and dominated the bottom of the zone with his sinker," Wegner added. "We hit some balls hard but right at guys in key situations … but for the most part I thought our hitters had a good approach in the box today."
 
Owen Rice got the start for the Panthers and allowed an unearned run in the first as Purdue Fort Wayne took the early advantage.
 
After Milwaukee stranded a pair on base in the first, they took the lead in the bottom of the third as Sean Tillmon reached on an error, and Carson Hansen reached base on a fielder's choice. Lane doubled the pair home with a deep drive off the right field wall.
 
The Panthers extended their lead in the fourth as Gabe Roessler singled and stole second, before scoring on a Dallan Quigley knock through a drawn in infield to extend Milwaukee's lead to 3-1.
 
Hausser led off the fifth with a home run and Bickers followed with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly as Lane lifted a ball into right field to give the Panthers a 5-1 advantage.
 
Rice allowed just a walk in the fourth and a single in the fifth, but three of the first four Mastodons reached in the sixth before Rice exited. It took two more pitchers to get out of the sixth as Purdue Fort Wayne led 6-5.
 
The Panthers loaded the bases with two down in the bottom of the sixth, but Bickers lined out on a hard drive to right as PFW escaped without any damage.
 
The Mastodons added an insurance run in the seventh before scoring two more in the ninth on a home run by Grant Thoroman to come away with the 9-5 win.
 
Milwaukee is scheduled to play a pair of non-conference games this week beginning with St. Thomas on Monday afternoon at Franklin Field with first pitch set for 4 p.m.