BATON ROUGE, La. – Aric Ehmke was locked in a pitchers' duel and allowed just one earned run over seven innings of work, but it was No. 1/2 LSU that came out on top with a 5-3 win on Saturday afternoon.
 
Ehmke needed just 88 pitches to get through seven innings, his second-longest outing as a Panther. He struck out three Tigers while scattering four hits and a pair of walks.
 
"The story of the game is Aric," said head coach Shaun Wegner. "He was outstanding with his execution and keeping balls off the barrel all day."
 
Ehmke matched wits with Cooper Moore, who allowed one run over six innings and struck out 11 Panthers on 76 pitches.
 
LSU scored first with two runs in the third inning off Ehmke. The Tigers plated the pair on three hits and were aided by a Panther miscue in the field.
 
"We made one key, critical error defensively that really allowed them their early runs," said Wegner. "Aric responded though like a veteran should and I tip my cap to his leadership from the jump today."
 
After LSU took the early lead, Milwaukee answered in the top of the fourth as Bradyn Horn connected on a line-drive home run to left field. The first home run of his career trimmed the deficit in half.
 
Ehmke cruised through the fifth and sixth innings and, after issuing a four-pitch walk to lead off the seventh, induced a ground-ball double play and pop-up to end the frame.
 
Milwaukee had traffic on the bases in the eighth and was unable to capitalize before LSU added three insurance runs in the bottom half to take a 5-1 lead. 
 
The Panthers refused to go down quietly in the top of the ninth. Horn singled before a sun-aided double off the bat of Tate Schmidt put a pair in scoring position. The next two batters struck out, but Dylan O'Connell and Dominic Kibler delivered RBI singles to bring go-ahead run to the plate. Milwaukee, however, was unable to extend the rally.
 
"Offensively, we were able to get a few rallies together and applied some pressure throughout the day," added Wegner. "Horn had a big swing, which was great to see. We have shown flashes but need more consistency and adjustment in the box to get to where we ultimately want to go. A few freshmen got their feet wet in big situations, which I hope can kickstart their careers."
 
The Panthers had nine hits on the day, including two apiece from Horn and Kibler, as Milwaukee outhit LSU, 9-8.
 
Trent Calaway and Chris Stanfield each recorded two hits to lead the Tigers. Moore earned the win, while five relievers took the mound for LSU, including Grant Fontenot, who earned the save.
 
"We have one more chance tomorrow to really soak in the moment and compete in this high-level environment," Wegner concluded. "I look forward to the guys getting another opportunity Sunday."
 
Milwaukee and LSU will meet in the series finale at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.