FRANKLIN, Wis. – Trailing 8-0 after entering the bottom of the seventh, the Milwaukee baseball team scored nine unanswered runs to complete a stunning comeback and defeat St. Thomas, 9-8.
 
Tommies starter Evan Esch held the Panthers in check through the first six innings, including a stretch where he faced the minimum over the first five. After recording the first two outs in the top of the seventh, Milwaukee broke through and scored three runs to cut the deficit to 8-3.
 
Eleven batters came to the plate for the Panthers in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by a two-run single from Cade Palkowski that pulled Milwaukee within one. Grant Ross followed with a single into centerfield to give the Panthers their first lead of the game at 9-8.
 
"The first part of the game I didn't think we showed up," said head coach Shaun Wegner. "You can't take a pitch, an out, or an inning off. You've got show up from the very first pitch, but thankfully it's not how you start, it's how you finish. I give our guys a lot of credit for being resilient and coming back."
 
St. Thomas scored in the second and third innings against Milwaukee starter Alex Vander Loop and extended its lead with three more runs in the fifth. The Tommies added another three in the top of the sixth to push its advantage to 6-0, while the Panthers struggled to solve Esch.
 
Milwaukee put two on with two down in the sixth, but Esch was able to escape the inning and stranded both runners. St. Thomas then capitalized on Milwaukee's second error of the game to build its eight-run lead.
 
Bradyn Horn sparked the rally with a two-out single in the seventh. Peter Visconti II walked, and Tristan Ellis reached on an infield single following a video review. Palkowski then lined a ball into right field that was misplayed, allowing all three runners to score to trim the deficit to five.
 
"The seventh inning started with two quick outs, and everything came after that," Wegner said. "That's what good offenses do, extend innings. We were able to put up three, and that gave us some momentum going into the eighth."
 
Tyler Andrews and Cullen Riel combined for a scoreless top of the eighth to set the stage for the comeback.

In the bottom half, Ross singled but was erased on a fielder's choice by Tate Schmidt. Dylan O'Connell followed with a single to move Schmidt to third and then stole his 30th base of the season. Dominic Kibler drove in Schmidt with a sacrifice fly, and O'Connell scored on a single by Horn.
 
Visconti II and Ellis then walked to load the base before Palkowski delivered again with a two-run single to make it 8-7. Joey Spence pinch hit and drew a four pitch walk to reload the bases, setting up Ross's go-ahead single to center.
 
Camden Kuhnke closed it out in the ninth, striking out the first two batters he faced. After a walk and a wild pitch put the tying run in scoring position, Kuhnke induced a groundout to secure the comeback victory.
 
"You always have a plan and vision of how the day is going to go, and you have to adjust on the fly," Wegner added. "Some guys end up in different situations than expected, but everyone needs to be ready. Ultimately, we want to win, and we want these guys to experience success."
 
Riel improved to 2-0 on the year, while Kuhnke earned his second save. Vander Loop allowed one earned run over three innings. Riley Golden gave up a run over 1 2/3 innings, Tristan Arnold did not allow an earned run over 1 1/3 innings, and Andrews recorded two outs.
 
Palkowski drove in a team-high four runs, while Ross collected three hits with two RBIs. O'Connell, Horn, and Palkowski each recorded multi-hit games.
 
Lucas McNellis led St. Thomas, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Joe Roder added three hits. Esch finished with 6 2/3 innings pitched, allowing two earned runs and striking out four.
 
The win was the second time this season Milwaukee has erased an eight-run deficit, previously rallying from 8-0 and 10-2 down to defeat Northern Kentucky, 16-10, in 14 innings on Mar. 15.
 
Milwaukee will carry its six-game winning streak into a weekend series against Wright State. The Panthers and Raiders open the three-game set on Friday at 3:00 p.m.