Team effort helps Buffs win close finale at Truett
Will Findley went 3-for-4, Will Oliver drove in two runs, Brandon Marello pitched five solid innings, and the Milligan College baseball team won its first game of the 2020 season Sunday, defeating Truett McConnell 4-3 in the finale of a three-game nonconference set.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Milligan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
|
Truett-McConnell
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
CLEVELAND, Ga. (Feb. 2, 2020) – Will Findley went 3-for-4, Will Oliver drove in two runs, Brandon Marello pitched five solid innings, and the Milligan College baseball team won its first game of the 2020 season Sunday, defeating Truett McConnell 4-3 in the finale of a three-game nonconference set.
Milligan fought back from behind twice, scored three runs over the seventh and eighth innings, and thwarted a near comeback in the ninth on the way to the hard-earned victory.
Seventh, eighth innings prove decisive
Milligan looked poised to break the game open in the seventh inning but instead settled to tie the game at 2-2 after Oliver drew a hit by pitch with the bases loaded. Oliver's RBI scored Chance Hall who had reached to lead the inning off. The Buffs had the bases loaded with nobody out but two ground balls bookending a strikeout helped Truett escape the inning with just a tie.
It hardly mattered as Milligan put the first four runners on base in the eighth inning as part of a two-run frame which put the Buffs ahead 4-2. Hall had an RBI single and Oliver produced another RBI on a groundout, which proved to be crucial as Truett nearly tied the game back up in the ninth.
Similar to what Milligan did in the eighth, the Bears put three of the first four batters on in the ninth and had the tying run on second and go-ahead run on first. Brian Baxa ended the threat with a flyout to pick up his first save.
In the box score
Marello made the start and gave the Buffs five strong innings, allowing only six hits and two runs. Cameron Bryson, who picked up the win, pitched two and two-third innings of relief before Graham Hooker made the final out of the eighth.
At the dish, seven Buffs had a hit, including Findley who was 3-for-4. He had two bunts for hits, one in the seventh as Milligan was pushing to tie, and one in the eighth when Milligan was looking to extend the lead.
Up next
Milligan hosts the second annual Clash of Conferences Tournament next weekend at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City. The Buffs are scheduled to play two games Friday and two games Saturday.