The Panthers got off to a brilliant start on the mound thanks to pitcher Riley Peterson, who threw five innings without giving up a hit. The Butler Bulldogs scored three consolation runs in the final inning, but Milwaukee earned a big win in the middle of their home-opening series with Butler.
Pouncing on the Mound
Peterson made his fourth start of the season for Milwaukee. Peterson struck out Crock on the opening pitch. Rhoades hit a ground ball to the right side of the field but got out. Ayres reached first base after an error by Spence. The inning came to an abrupt end after Ayers was caught stealing at second base.
Schmidt singled through left field to reach first base for Milwaukee. Schmidt advanced to second after Spence grounded to first base. Kibler walked after Jake Thomas pitched four balls. Schmidt scored the first run for Milwaukee after Horn singled it deep to left field, giving Milwaukee its first lead of the series, 1-0.
The Panthers were not done; Freshman Max Glusick hit a single through the middle, allowing Kibler to score. The bases became loaded after Marion walked. However, Milwaukee could not take advantage due to Holmes hitting a flyball. The 1st inning ended with a 2-0 lead for Milwaukee.
White hit a line towards center field, but Cade Palkowski dove to catch the fly ball. The Bulldogs struggled in the inning and went out with no hits. Palkowski started off Milwaukee with a hit to first from a single through right field. However, the Panthers could not get anything going. Both teams struggled at the plate in the 2nd inning.
Peterson had the bulldogs on lockdown as they remained scoreless despite their strike percentage below 50% in the 3rd inning. But the Panthers could not ignite anything either. The score by the 4th inning remained 2-0 for Milwaukee, with Peterson and the fielders not conceding a hit at this point in the contest.
Home Opening Grand Slam
In the bottom of the 4th inning, Kibler would hit a grand slam, increasing the lead to 6-0. The other known grand slams in program history occurred against UIC in the MCC championship and Butler in 2006 by Ryan Curran. Eventually, the inning ended, but the Panthers were already fired up.
The 5th inning looked the same for the Bulldogs, failing to record another hit on Peterson. He tied his career high of 8 strikeouts to end the inning. Butler made a change on the mound and substituted Thomas for Logan Wiley for the bottom of the inning. Milwaukee’s half of the inning ended after Schmidt struck out.
Fifth-year pitcher Lucas Watson stepped in for Peterson to pitch for the 6th inning. Zeller got the first hit for Butler, snapping Milwaukee’s 6-inning no-hitter. Leaving Alex McIntosh and Mike Schneider as the only pitchers in program history to have a combined no-hitter in one game in 2015. Watson struggled against Butler as they would load the bases. However, a fly ball would end the inning for the Bulldogs, leaving them to be scoreless.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, the true freshman from Sun Prairie, Max Glusick, recorded his first ever homerun in his collegiate career. The score increased to 9-0 for Milwaukee as Kibler and Horn scored with the homerun. Marion would also score a run after Palkowski grounded in the middle. The inning would end, however, after a fly ball was caught by a Butler outfielder.
Danny Gavin hit his 2nd home run of the season to put the Bulldogs on the board, 10-3. Kee Connors and Chris Lewis were the other runners during the home run. With the bases loaded, Aid Thaxton failed to continue the offense as was caught in the air.
Milwaukee ended the game in a dominant 10-3 victory in game two of their home opening series against Butler. Riley Peterson was the game-changer in this contest. He was six outs away from the first solo no-hitter in program history before being subbed out. The win tied the series before the tiebreaking match was played on Sunday.
Butler won the final game of the series in a close 8-7 matchup. Milwaukee now sits at a 5-20 record on the season after a tough schedule to start the 2026 campaign.