DAYTON, Ohio – Milwaukee jumped out to another early lead on home runs by Gabe Roessler and Charlie Marion and held on for an 8-6 over Northern Kentucky on Thursday afternoon, advancing in the Horizon League Championship bracket.
 
The Panthers led 7-1 midway through the game before allowing a three-run home run to Gabe Miranda in the bottom of the fifth. Starter Matthew Mueller ended his outing with a strikeout, and the bullpen arms of Logan Schulfer, Riley Peterson, and Logan Snow closed the door to secure the win.
 
"It's about finding those roles so that when you get to this time of the year, you have the trust and defined spots where people know when they're going to get into the game," said Shaun Wegner of his pitching staff. "Mueller threw really well, he hung a pitch to Miranda that I know he wants back … it hurt in the moment, but we were able to limit from there. Credit to Mueller and our bullpen for keeping that game in hand."
 
Mueller struck out five over 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs. Schulfer surrendered a run in the seventh before Peterson quieted the Norse bats with two scoreless frames. Snow shut the game down in the ninth with his seventh save of the season.
 
Roessler homered to lead off the game, and after a walk to Tyler Bickers, Marion went deep for the second straight day to give MKE a quick 3-0 advantage. Northern Kentucky answered with a run in the bottom of the third after loading the bases with one out, but Mueller recorded a groundout and flyout to strand a pair of runners.
 
Caden Headlee doubled in the fourth, and after a walk by Q Phillips and a single by Thomas Otto, the bases were loaded. Tristan Ellis walked to force in a run, and Bradyn Horn jumped on the first pitch he saw to drive in another. Roessler added his second RBI of the game on a groundout, pushing Milwaukee's lead to 6-1.
 
Mueller retired the side in the bottom of the fourth, and Bickers opened the fifth with an infield single. Headlee reached on a fielder's choice, and Phillips followed with a double to left center, scoring Headlee from first to make it 7-1.
 
Following Miranda's home run in the bottom of the fifth, NKU added another run in the seventh to cut the deficit to 7-5.
 
In the ninth, Bickers led off with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Headlee drove him in with a sacrifice fly for a crucial insurance run.
 
"It's easy to look at the big flies because those are the impact plays," Wegner said. "But it's the two-out RBIs … the Headlee sacrifice fly in the ninth … to give you that extra breathing room and makes the biggest difference."
 
The first two Norse batters reached in the ninth with a leadoff double and a fielding error, allowing a run to score. Snow got a double play ball and followed with a three-pitch strikeout to seal the win and send the Panthers deeper into the winners' bracket.
 
Bickers, Marion, and Headlee each collected two of Milwaukee's 11 hits, with Roessler and Marion driving in two runs apiece.
 
The win moves Milwaukee to 2-0 in the Horizon League Championship for the first time since 2014. The Panthers will take on top-seeded Wright State, who defeated Oakland earlier in the day.
 
First pitch on Friday between the Panthers and the Raiders will be at 10:00 a.m. (CT) at Nischwitz Stadium.