Baseball secures series victory over E&H with 9-6 win

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 3, 2022) – The Milligan University baseball team took the rubber match in the Buffs' three game series against Emory & Henry with a 9-6 victory at Anglin Field on Sunday afternoon.

Milligan rises to 27-13 on the year while E&H falls to 6-16.

Both teams threatened to score early but came up empty. A pair of walks turned into runners on first and third with two outs in the first but a hard-hit line drive off the bat of Logan Hullette was tracked down by the E&H right fielder.

The Wasps had runners on first and second with two outs in the second, but Milligan starter Jack Bembry got a force out at third to close the inning. E&H placed runners on second and third with two away in the third before third baseman Josh Lail tracked down a ball in foul territory to end the threat.

E&H loaded the bases with nobody out with two walks and a single. Bembry picked up a key strikeout before the Wasps traded a run for an out as Robert Salcedo made a diving play on an RBI groundout. Preston Miller entered the game on the mound and got the next batter to fly out to end the inning with runners stranded on second and third.

The Wasps extended their edge to 4-0 with three runs, two of which were unearned, in the top of the fifth.

Cade Davis struck back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to put the Buffs on the scoreboard and cut the E&H lead in half. Eric Rigsby's double down the left field line brought home Justin Greene from first to make it a 4-3 ballgame. A balk put Rigsby on third and pinch runner Ben Grable on second base before Josh Lail ripped a two-run double down the left field line to give the Buffs a 5-4 edge.

The Wasps did not waste time tying the game at five in the top of the sixth. A leadoff double was followed by a wild pitch and sacrifice fly to score the game-tying run. Creed Werker entered the game and posted back-to-back strikeouts to close the frame.

Chancery Hall doubled to left to lead off the sixth for the Buffs and raced to third when the cutoff throw was offline and scampered home and slid under the tag to give the Buffs a 6-5 lead. Later in the inning, Eric Rigsby knocked an RBI single and scored on a double off the bat of Braden Spano that put Milligan ahead 8-5 after six.

A walk, error and wild pitch led to an E&H run in the seventh, but Werker posted a strikeout and flyout to strand a Wasp on third. Milligan got the run right back in the bottom of the inning as Andrew Mathias brought home Salcedo with a two-out single to give the Buffs a 9-6 lead.

Werker logged a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout to close the frame. Chancery Hall induced a 4-6-3 double play in the ninth and clinched the win with a groundout to second base.

Milligan totaled 13 hits on the day with five doubles and a home run. Mathias went 3-4 with a run and RBI. Rigsby, Spano, Lail and Davis had two hits apiece. Rigsby, Lail and Davis had two RBI heads.

Werker picked up his first win of the season as he went 2.2 innings without allowing a hit. He gave up one unearned run, struck out five and walked one. Bembrey opened the game with 3.2 innings, three hits and one earned run. Hall worked a scoreless ninth for his second save of the year.

Milligan baseball returns to play next weekend at Johnson (Tenn.) for a three-game Appalachian Athletic Conference set.