FRANKLIN, Wis. – Behind seven shutout innings from Aric Ehmke, the Milwaukee baseball team blanked Wright State, 4-0, to win its eighth game in a row on Saturday afternoon.
 
Ehmke scattered just four hits and three walks while striking out four batters before handing it off to Lucas Watson and Camden Kuhnke, who each tossed a scoreless inning to preserve the shutout.
 
"It was all about the mound today. Ehmke, on Senior Day, went out there and gave us seven shutout innings," said head coach Shaun Wegner. "Then we followed that up with Watson coming out and then Kuhnke, so props to the guys on the mound."
 
Milwaukee did most of its damage in the fourth inning, scoring three runs on a double by Charlie Marion, a single by Dylan O'Connell and a Raider misplay. The Panthers tacked on an insurance run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Bradyn Horn.
 
The Panthers outhit Wright State, 9-5, with multi-hit games from Grant Ross, O'Connell, and Dominic Kibler.
 
Ehmke worked around traffic throughout his outing, including a two-on situation in the third that ended with an inning-ending double play. He also escaped a two-out jam in the fifth with a popup to keep the shutout intact.
 
Milwaukee broke through in the fourth when Ross doubled to lead off the innings, followed by Marion's RBI double to open the scoring. O'Connell then drove in Marion with a single down the right field line to make it 2-0. Kibler reached on an infield single before Horn advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Tate Schmidt followed with a comebacker that was mishandled, allowing O'Connell to score and extend the lead to 3-0.
 
In the sixth, O'Connell singled and stole second before advancing to third on a flyout. Horn then delivered with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 4-0.
 
"Offensively, we found that three-run inning, and quite honestly that extra run in the sixth was huge," Wegner said. "Hopefully we can carry this momentum into tomorrow."
 
Milwaukee threatened again in the seventh but left a pair in scoring position.
 
After a tough outing on Friday, Watson bounced back with a scoreless eighth, stranding two runners. Kuhnke followed in the ninth, allowing a two-out double before securing the final out on a fly ball to left.
 
"Watson has the best arsenal on our team, and when it's in the zone, he's unhittable," Wegner noted. "We show trust and belief in him, and you're starting to see what he can actually do."
 
The win give Milwaukee its first series victory over Wright State since April 2024, while extending the Panthers' winning streak to eight games. The streak is tied for the fourth longest in program history and is the team's longest since May 2013.
 
"You always want to protect your home turf," Wegner said. "For the guys to take the first two, that's awesome to get the series win. Now the question is, can we show up tomorrow and respond to what they did to us on their home turf?"
 
The victory also gave Milwaukee's first Senior Day win since sweeping a doubleheader from Northern Kentucky in 2021. Prior to the game the team honored its eight seniors playing in the final collegiate season at Milwaukee: Ross, Marion, Ehmke, Watson, Joey Spence, Tristan Ellis, Connor Bozak, and Aiden Fishnick were all recognized.
 
Milwaukee will look to complete the series sweep on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch set for 1:00 0p.m. at Franklin Field.