MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — Joey Spence hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday evening, lifting Milwaukee to a 5-4 victory over Wright State at Franklin Field.

The Panthers evened the weekend series after dropping the opener 4-1 on Friday. Milwaukee improved to 25-31, while the Raiders fell to 27-28.

Gavin Theis turned in a dominant start for Milwaukee, pitching eight innings and allowing five hits with no earned runs and six strikeouts. He left with a 3-1 lead. Wright State starter Chet Lax went six innings, allowing three earned runs on no hits with six strikeouts, an unusual line that reflected walks and defensive miscues.

Wright State struck first in the second inning. After a double by Peltier and a throwing error, Zac Butler delivered a sacrifice fly to score Peltier for a 1-0 lead.

Milwaukee answered in the fifth. Grant Ross doubled and Joey Spence singled before Dylan O’Connell doubled down the left-field line, driving in both runners to put the Panthers ahead 2-1. An inning later, Ryan Holmes singled home Horn to extend the lead to 3-1.

Theis retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced, but Wright State mounted a rally against reliever Camden Kuhnke in the top of the ninth. Fultz singled, Butler reached on a fielding error by third baseman Horn, and after a sacrifice bunt and a walk, Warren was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Cam Gilkerson then singled to left-center, driving in two more runs and giving Wright State a 4-3 lead.

Milwaukee answered immediately in the bottom half. Malachi Paplanus, who relieved J.J. Thompson, walked leadoff batter Holmes. Spence followed by launching a 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall for a walk-off homer, his second hit of the night. Spence finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. O’Connell had two RBIs on a double, and Ross went 2-for-3. For Wright State, Gilkerson drove in two runs, and Butler added an RBI on his sacrifice fly.

Thompson pitched two scoreless innings for Wright State, striking out two.

Theis’s outing was a sharp rebound from his previous appearance May 14 against Oakland, when he allowed four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.