Baseball closes Clash of Conferences with doubleheader sweep

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (February 7, 2022) – The Milligan University baseball team battled for two well-contested wins against WVU Tech to close out the Clash of Conferences at TVA Credit Union Ballpark on Monday afternoon.

Milligan won three of four games over the weekend to move to 6-3 on the season. WVU falls to 1-3 in its opening weekend.

Game 1 – Milligan 7, WVU Tech 3

After Gaven Jones retired WVU Tech in order with two strikeouts in the top of the first inning, Milligan scored the game's first run in the bottom of the first. Justin Greene led off the bottom of the first with a triple off the center field wall. A sacrifice fly by Brandon Marello brought Greene home. Anthony Guzman doubled into right center but was stranded on third base.

Milligan added another run in the second inning. Andrew Mathias led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and stole third. He scored on a ground ball off the bat of Cade Davis to give the Buffs a 2-0 advantage.

The Golden Bears tied the game at two with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third. Milligan re-took the lead with an unearned run of its own in the bottom of the third.

A two out RBI double for WVU Tech tied the game at three and threatened to take the lead with runners on second and third. Chancery Hall entered the game from right field and ended the inning with a strikeout.

Braden Spano led off the home half of the sixth inning with a double into right center field. Pinch runner Ben Grable advanced to third with a sacrifice bunt by Hall. A pair of hit batsmen loaded the bases with one out. Casey Haire brought home Grable with a sacrifice fly to give Milligan a 4-3 lead. The Buff lead became 6-3 as a pickoff attempt gone wrong resulted in two more Milligan runs.

Marello brought home Robert Salcedo with a base hit into right field to extend the Milligan advantage to 7-3 in the sixth.

Hall sat down three of the four hitters he saw in the seventh to pick up the win.

Jones allowed three runs, two earned in 5.2 innings of work. He struck out six and walked none in the outing. Hall did not allow a hit or run in 1.1 innings.

Six of eight hits for Milligan went for extra bases. Marello went 2-3 with a double, two RBI and a run. Mathias scored twice.

Game 2 – Milligan 4, WVU Tech 3

WVU Tech began game two with a two-out rally in the top of the first. After two quick outs, the Golden Bears smacked back-to-back doubles and a pair of base hits to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

Spano put the Buffs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second with a blast over the right field fence for his second home run of the season. The next batter Hall doubled but was stranded on third.

After the Golden Bears' two-out magic in the first inning, Marello allowed just one baserunner in the second, third and fourth innings.

Spano accounted for the Buffs' second run as well as he tripled to center field and scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.

Leading 3-2, WVU Tech threatened to add to its advantage in the top of the fifth. A one-out double put runners on second and third. Marello sat down WVU Tech's No. 3 and cleanup batters with strikeouts to escape the fifth.

Salcedo singled and Greene walked to open the bottom of the fifth. A sac bunt by Marello put the runners on second and third with one out. Guzman brought both home with a line drive into center field and legged out a double. A walk and hit batsman loaded the bases with two outs but the Golden Bears escaped without any more damage.

WVU Tech connected on a pair of well-hit line drives in the top of the sixth, but both were snared by Salcedo and Mathias for two quick outs. Consecutive base hits and a walk loaded the bases for the Golden Bears with two outs. WVU Tech leadoff batter Calen Owens popped out to Spano in foul territory on the first base side to end the threat.

Brock Browning worked a scoreless seventh to secure his third save of the season.

Marello earned his second win of the season with five scoreless innings following WVU Tech's three-run first inning. He posted five strikeouts to two walks on the day.

Spano registered a home run, triple, two runs scored and an RBI.

Milligan returns to action this weekend with a three-game series at Bob Jones.