ROCHESTER, Mich. – After trailing 4-0, Milwaukee scored five unanswered runs to take its first lead of the game. However, the Panthers were unable to hold it, as Oakland scored the last two runs for a 6-5 victory to even the series.
Dominic Kibler and
Grant Ross combined for four of Milwaukee's eight hits, with each collecting an RBI.
Tate Schmidt drove in two runs, and
Joey Spence added another to account for the Panthers' offense.
Sam Griffith led Oakland with three RBIs, while Sam Patton, Lucas Day and Carter Hain each recorded two-hit games.
A leadoff walk in the bottom of the first snowballed on Milwaukee starter
Aric Ehmke, who needed to get a fourth out in the inning following a Panther miscue. The Golden Grizzlies scored three in the first and added another in the second to open a four-run lead.
"We came out today flat, even in our pregame, and ultimately that's on me to not allow that to happen," said head Coach
Shaun Wegner. "Once that tone was set, Oakland jumped on us early"
Ross got Milwaukee going in the fourth with a first-pitch single and moved to second on a groundout. Kibler then drove him in with the Panthers' first run, cutting the deficit to 4-1.
Ehmke needed just seven pitches to get through the bottom of the fourth, allowing the offense to carry the momentum into the fifth.
Charlie Marion doubled and moved up to third on a bunt before scoring on Spence's single.
Christian Holmes reached on an error ahead of Ross's RBI single to plate Spence. Schmidt followed with a two-run hit, giving Milwaukee its first lead of the game at 5-4.
"I thought we did a good job to stay the course and manufacture a bit, capped with a big two-out RBI from Kibler in the fourth," said Wegner. "We added three big knocks in the fifth to take the lead. However, we just couldn't get anything more across and fell up short in the end."
Oakland tied the game in the bottom of the inning, chasing Ehmke in the process.
Mason Weckler entered in relief and retired the first four batters he faced before allowing a leadoff walk to Aidan Orr in the seventh. Orr eventually scored the go-ahead run on a base hit.
The Panther offense went down in order in both the eighth and ninth innings as Oakland secured the win.
Ryan Donley pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the win, while Blake Sehlke pitched two hitless innings for his first save of the season. Weckler took the loss for Milwaukee, pitching 2 2/3 innings with three strikeouts.
"Tomorrow, we have the chance to take the rubber match and still leave here with a conference road series victory," Wegner concluded.
Milwaukee and Oakland will play the rubber match of the three-game set on Sunday, with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m. (CT).
