DAYTON, Ohio – An early start once again propelled the Milwaukee baseball team to another victory and into the Horizon League Championship round, as the Panther upended top-seeded Wright State by a 12-6 score on Friday afternoon.
 
Gavin Theis went 5 1/3 innings and earned his ninth win of the season, supported by nine runs from the offense over the first three innings.
 
The Panthers amassed 16 hits, tying their season high against a Horizon League opponent. Milwaukee was led by three hits apiece from Justin Hausser and Tyler Bickers. Q Phillips had a pair of doubles and led the Panthers with four RBIs.
 
"Our offense came out with a lot of energy," said head coach Shaun Wegner. "We stayed on every single at bat and we didn't give up … we put some big numbers on the board early, and when you steal that momentum, that's huge in any game."
 
Milwaukee's quick start came off Wright State starter Griffin Paige. Hausser, Bickers, and Charlie Marion all collected singles, with Marion's knock putting the first run on the board. Caden Headlee walked to load the bases, and Phillips followed with a double into the left-center gap to empty the bases and put MKE up by four.
 
Wright State responded with a run in the bottom half, which Milwaukee immediately answered with another in the second. Gabe Roessler walked and scored on Marion's triple into right center. The Raiders led off the bottom of the second with a solo home run to make it 5-2, but Theis limited the damage and had a double play end the inning.
 
In the third, the Panthers put up another four runs with clutch two-out hitting. Teige Lethert and Bradyn Horn singled before Roessler walked to fill the bases. Hausser delivered a two-run single before the Panthers executed a delayed double steal to bring in another run. Bickers followed with another RBI single to extend the lead to 9-2.
 
Theis retired the side in order and faced minimal traffic through the fifth inning.
 
Milwaukee's bats stayed hot in the sixth. Marion led off with a walk, Headlee singled, and Phillips drove in the 10th run with his second double of the day. Tristan Ellis added another RBI single, allowing Phillips to advance to third. During the next at bat, Phillips scored on the throw to second as Ellis was caught stealing on another attempted double steal.
 
The Raiders got a run back in the sixth, prompting Theis' exit in favor of Tyler Deleskiewicz, who prompted an inning-ending double play to escape the threat. Deleskiewicz then recorded Milwaukee's third double play of the game in the seventh to send the game to the eighth.
 
Wight State pulled within six with a three-run home run to right field by Braylen Blomquist, but Mike Sullivan stemmed the tide with a strikeout and a groundout. In the ninth, Sullivan retired the side to secure the win.
 
Deleskiewicz did not allow a hit over his two innings of work and recorded one strikeout, while Sullivan retired all five batters he faced, including two strikeouts.
 
"We told everyone that their opportunity was going to come and to be ready for it," Wegner added. "Gavin giving us that start today and then being able to turn the ball over and letting everyone do their job, passing it off to the next guy with those defined roles has been huge."
 
Marion and Hausser each drove in two runs, while Phillips, Lethert, and Horn had two-hit games. Roessler walked three times and scored a pair of runs.
 
With the win Milwaukee advances to the championship round for the first time since 2021 and will take on either Wright State, Northern Kentucky, or Oakland. The Panthers are looking to clinch their first Horizon League Championship and NCAA Division I Championship bid since 2010.
 
Game time on Saturday at Nischwitz Stadium is set for 11:00 a.m. (CT).