MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — Nathan Beckley drove in three runs and a parade of six Youngstown State relievers combined for three perfect innings to close out a 5-3 victory over Milwaukee in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday.

The Penguins (5-23) snapped a five-game skid and evened their season record with the Panthers (5-23) by capitalizing on a critical Milwaukee error to break a tie in the seventh inning.

For five innings, the game was a duel between starters Braden Gebhardt of Youngstown State and Milwaukee’s Gavin Theis. Gebhardt, the Penguins’ top star, allowed three runs on five hits over six innings, striking out five. Theis was even sharper, holding the Penguins scoreless on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Milwaukee struck first in the fourth. Carson Kibler singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Bradyn Horn’s RBI single. Horn finished 3 for 4.

The Panthers added two more in the fifth. Justin Holmes led off with a triple and later scored on a fielder’s choice by Marcus Schmidt. Schmidt was caught in a rundown, but not before Carson Hansen, who had walked and stolen second, came home to tie the game at 3.

Theis departed with one out in the seventh after a walk and a single. Reliever Jack Watson induced a potential double-play ball, but second baseman Schmidt’s throwing error loaded the bases. After a strikeout, Beckley laced a two-run single to left field that was misplayed by Horn, allowing all three runners to score. Gannon Cutting followed with an RBI single to cap the four-run, unearned rally and give Youngstown State a 5-3 lead.

From there, the Penguins’ bullpen dominated. Tyler Heflin, Bryce Palms, Jake Ferretti, Braedon Davis and Sumner Estes faced the minimum over the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and just one walk. Estes worked a perfect ninth for the save.

Beckley added a ninth-inning RBI single for the Penguins, who outhit the Panthers 13-8. Camden Kuhnke took the loss for Milwaukee, allowing one unearned run over 2 1/3 innings of relief.

The most important sequence of the game occurred in the top of the seventh inning. With the score tied 3-3, Milwaukee’s defensive miscues opened the door. The throwing error by Schmidt on what should have been an inning-ending double-play ball kept the frame alive and loaded the bases. Beckley then delivered the decisive hit, a single compounded by the fielding error in left, which cleared the bases and transformed a tight pitchers’ duel into a multi-run Youngstown State lead from which Milwaukee could not recover.

Youngstown State and Milwaukee continued their series with the second game of the doubleheader Friday afternoon.