Panthers Win Home Opener in Dramatic Fashion

Panthers fans left UW-Milwaukee’s first home opener on their new home turf, Franklin Field, happy after the baseball team pulled off a 6-3 come-from-behind win over the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.

The Panthers rallied against IUPFW closer Ryan Robinson (1-1) after struggling for 7 1/3 innings against starter Justin Miller. A string of clutch hits in the eighth put the Panthers ahead to stay.

The dagger for the Panthers was a two-run triple to right field by Jack Cavanaugh. Mastodon right fielder Justin Greene gave a diving try after the sinking line drive from Cavanaugh, only to come up short, and have the ball get away allowing two runs to score and Cavanaugh to get to third base.

Until that point in the game Mastodon starter Miller had cruised, but with a rising pitch count and working from the stretch with runners on base for much of his last two innings, he gave way to Robinson.

Freshmen starter Riley Frey turned in a strong 5 2/3 innings for the Panthers, allowing three runs, all coming on one swing of the bat, an third-inning homer by Aaron Chapman that accounted for the Mastodons’ only three runs.

Andy Neu (2-0) came out of the Panther’s bullpen and pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball to get the win. Freshman closer AJ Blubaugh came in with a runner on base in the ninth inning and struck out the side while hitting up to 96 MPH on the stadium radar gun to clinch the victory.

“He’s just come on in the last four or five months,” said Panthers Head Coach Scott Doffek. “He was definitely moving in the right direction last year before we got shut down. He just keeps working. I think he’s just scratching the surface.”

The Panthers’ win came during their first game at a brand-new ballpark, Franklin Field, a field the team shares with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the professional American Association.

The official move comes a year late as the team was slated to host its first games there last year, however, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic the Horizon League canceled the baseball season only a few days before the first game was to be played there.

“It’s an incredible venue,” said Doffek. “As a Division I program these guys deserve to showcase the program in this kind of a manner. It’s first class. We’re really excited to just make this place home. Grow into it and make it home.”

The Panthers team is a team heavy on young talent with much of the team’s key performers Friday being listed as freshmen including starter Frey, Blubaugh, Quinton Morris and Marcus Cline whose clutch singles tied the game and gave the Panthers the lead respectively with two outs in the eighth inning.

“It’s encouraging the direction that we’re going to be heading with some of these guys,” said Doffek.

Friday’s win comes as just the fourth win on the young season for the Panthers.

“We’ve really had a hard time scoring runs as a whole,” said Doffek. “Today was no different. Just managed to string three or four good hits together.”

The 6-3 win on Friday came in the first game of a four-game weekend sweep of the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.

In the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader Cavanaugh was not done with his late game heroics for the Panthers. In the final inning of a shortened seven-inning game Cavanaugh smacked a single to right giving the Panthers a walk off win.

The sweep was punctuated with a 14-3 blowout to cap off a strong weekend for the Panthers.

The Panthers will be on the road next weekend against Oakland University, but with return home to for a four-game set against Youngstown State April 9.

UWM is allowing fans in attendance at Franklin Field in Franklin, Wisconsin. Tickets for the remaining home games this season can be purchased at mkepanthers.com