Marello shines in victorious finale over No. 1 TWU
Brandon Marello pitched seven masterful innings before scoring the walk-off winning run Saturday to help the Milligan University baseball team beat top-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan 2-1 in the finale of a three-game Appalachian Athletic Conference set. Milligan had a late spark but lost game one of Saturday’s doubleheader 15-7.
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
|
Milligan
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan
|
2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 14 | 1 |
|
Milligan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 1 |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 3, 2021) – Brandon Marello pitched seven masterful innings before scoring the walk-off winning run Saturday to help the Milligan University baseball team beat top-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan 2-1 in the finale of a three-game Appalachian Athletic Conference set. Milligan had a late spark but lost game one of Saturday's doubleheader 15-7.
The win brought Milligan's season record to 21-14 (9-8 AAC) as the Buffaloes did what only one other team had done to the NAIA's No. 1 team this season in handing the Bulldogs (30-3, 15-3 AAC) a defeat.
Buffs win in extra innings on walk-off walk
Marello made the start and pitched what would have been a complete game had the finale not gone into extra innings. His final line, although not part of the decision, was seven innings, eight hits, one run, two walks and three strikeouts.
That was just on the hill.
Marello also added a three-hit effort at the dish and singled and scored the winning run with one out in the eighth. After his single to lead off the final inning, Anthony Guzman bunted him to second, then he went to third on a ground ball by Braden Spano. Justin Greene provided the winning RBI by battling back from an 0-2 count to draw a bases-loaded walk.
Greene factored into Milligan's other run in the game in a big way as he came home to score on a Kirby Smith RBI single in the second, tying the game at 1-1, where the teams would remain knotted for the next five and a half innings.
Chancery Hall picked up the winning decision as he pitched the top of the eighth inning and helped Marello out of the final jam. Hall entered with two on and nobody out before escaping the threat via a ground ball, strikeout and flyout.
Bulldogs take game one to win series
Wesleyan got out front quick with two runs in the first and three more in the third inning of game one. The Bulldogs led 8-0 but the Buffaloes put up a five-run sixth, featuring an Augustus Fraley RBI single and Smith two-RBI double to make it 8-5. Milligan even had the tying run at the plate in that inning but came away with only five runs and Wesleyan added to its lead in the next two frames.
Greene went 4-for-5 in the loss while Hall went 3-for-5. Brock Browning got the start and went five innings with six hits, five runs, three walks and seven strikeouts. Caleb Penner highlighted Milligan's relief staff with 1.1 scoreless innings of work. He retired all four batters he faced, including striking out the side in the ninth.
Up next
Milligan heads to CIU for a three-game AAC series next weekend. The Buffs will be back home the following Tuesday, April 13, for University of the Cumberlands.