Milwaukee Athletics

NILES, Ohio – Youngstown State narrowly escaped with a one-run win on Saturday afternoon, defeating Milwaukee 4-3 to win the weekend series.
 
Youngstown State did all its scoring in the third inning with a four-run frame highlighted by a three-run home run by Ryan Schummer.
 
Meanwhile, Milwaukee got solo home runs from Dominic Kibler and Tate Schmidt in the fifth inning and a Bradyn Horn sacrifice fly in the seventh but were unable to draw even as the Penguins held off the Panthers.
 
Aric Ehmke got the nod for Milwaukee and did not allow an earned run over his seven innings of work. Ehmke struck out eight batters while walking one and scattering seven hits throughout his outing.
 
The Panthers also committed three errors, including one in the costly third inning, as all four Penguin runs were unearned.
 
"Today was another day where self-inflicted wounds got the best of us and we were not able to fully overcome the deficit we created for ourselves," said head coach Shaun Wegner. "This game does not come down to making it close, so while we put up a fight in the eighth and ninth innings, we didn't get the result we had hoped for."
 
Ehmke and Youngstown State starter Jake Messmore matched scoreless innings through the first two. The Penguins got on the board with a run-scoring double by Nathan Beckley before Schummer followed with a three-run home run.
 
"Aric threw the ball well enough to win the game, but it came down to a couple of poor 0-2 pitches, a crucial error on a double play ball and then Schommer was able to attack a first pitch and leave the yard," said Wegner. 
 
In the fifth, Kibler sent the first pitch he saw deep to right for his ninth home run of the season, while two batters later Schmidt also launched the first pitch he saw over the wall for his first home run of the year.
 
Dylan O'Connell led off the seventh with a single and stole second, and after a pair of fly outs, including a sacrifice fly by Horn, the Panthers were back within one at 4-3.
 
"Offensively, it took us too long to adjust and really buy into the scouting report," Wegner said. "The information was good, but we need to have understanding from the start."
 
The Panthers stranded a pair on base in the eighth as Grant Ross and Charlie Marion reached with two down.
 
Cullen Riel came on in the bottom half and allowed the first two batters to reach, but struck out the next three Penguins he faced, including the first two on three pitches.
 
Horn walked with one down in the ninth, and John Hadley VI singled to put two on with two down, but the Panthers were unable to score with the tying run 90 feet away as the Penguins held on.
 
Milwaukee will attempt to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. (CT) at 717 Credit Union Field at Eastwood.