After working to get back into the game, the Panthers were unable to claim a victory in Iowa City yesterday, as the Iowa Hawkeyes walked off in the bottom of the ninth to earn the victory 4-3 at Duane Banks Field.
Daulton Varsho jumpstarted the Milwaukee offense early on with a home run to left field. That lead would not last long, as Iowa hopped back in front with two runs in the bottom half of the frame.
The game would be tied at 2-2 until Iowa’s Jake Adams, who has exhibited plenty of power so far this season, smacked his 15th home run of the season. Milwaukee would stay behind until the the seventh inning when things began to click.
Ian Ross got things started with a double and then quickly advanced to third on a wild pitch. A Dylan Detert single then brought him home, knotting the game up at three apiece. That would be all the Panthers would get that stanza.
They would have another opportunity to reclaim the lead the following inning, but the potential go-ahead run was left on third. Milwaukee went down in order in the ninth and Iowa went on to not let their chance be missed. A leadoff walk began the bottom half, followed by a hit batter, putting the winning run in scoring position. A sacrifice bunt attempt evolved into a base hit, filling the bases with Hawkeyes. Mason McCoy then won it with a single to left.
“We did a lot of good things tonight, but broke down in the ninth,” Milwaukee Head Coach Scott Doffek said. “We will win when we’re ready and not before. The game is 54 outs and we need to execute on both sides of the ball without breakdowns. We swung the bats well for the most part with a lot of hard contact, but also struck out too much.”
For Milwaukee, Ben Chally highlighted the offense, finishing with a 3-for-4 performance at the dish. Ross went 2-for-4 and Cole Heili, Detert, and Billy Quirke all finding a hit. Varsho had the home run and a walk in four at-bats.
Reed Blake (0-2) suffered the loss, even though he did not give up a hit in his two innings pitched. Drake Robinson received the win for the Hawkeyes with four strikeouts and no walks in two hitless innings of work.
The Panthers will now host Oakland University to Henry Aaron Field. The opener of the series is slated for a 3 p.m. start and will be televised on Spectrum Sports in the Milwaukee Area with Bob Brainerd and Don August on the call. The Panthers will take on Oakland in the finale of the series at Miller Park this Sunday.