Baseball closes regular season with two close losses to No. 23 Reinhardt

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 29, 2022) – The Milligan University baseball team ended its regular season with a pair of close defeats to No. 23 Reinhardt at Anglin Field on Friday afternoon. The Eagles prevailed 3-2 in game one and used a three-run seventh inning to win game two 4-1.

Milligan closes its regular season at 34-19, 19-11 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play. Reinhardt jumps up to the No. 2 spot in the AAC standings with a 33-19 record and 21-9 AAC mark. Milligan 34-17, 19-9 | Reinhardt 31-19, 19-9

Game 1 – Reinhardt 3, Milligan 2

Reinharadt put runners on the corners with two away in the second inning, but a grounder to short resulted in a force out at second to end the inning. Two hits and an hit batsman loaded the bases for the Buffs with two outs in the bottom of the inning before a grounder to third kept the game scoreless.

Milligan loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the third and took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Braden Spano. Milligan's runner on second tried to move up to third on the sac fly, but was thrown out attempting to advance. A strikeout kept any more damage from being done in the frame.

Reinhardt tied the game at one with a single, bunt single, sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly. The inning ended after the sacrifice fly as Reinhardt's runner on second was called out for leaving the base early on the caught fly ball.

A solo home run in the sixth gave the Eagles a 2-1 edge. In the bottom of the seventh, Andrew Mathias doubled and scored on a pinch hit single by Logan Hullette to tie the game at two.

Reinhardt responded by taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the eight with a two-out RBI single. The Buffs were unable to muster a baserunner the rest of the way and fell by a single run.

The Buffs managed four hits in the nine-inning contest. Marello allowed two runs in six innings and Browning gave up one run in three frames.

Game 2 – Reinhardt 4, Milligan 1

The Buffs struck first in game two as Anthony Guzman doubled down the left field line and scored on an RBI single by Spano. Milligan had runners on first and second, but could not add to their lead as a flyout and force out closed the inning.

Reinhardt tied the game at one in the fourth with a successful squeeze play.

Brock Browning was replaced after four innings of one run ball by Gaven Jones in the fifth. He worked a scoreless inning before Chancery Hall came and held Reinhardt of the scoreboard in the sixth.

In the top of the seventh, Reinhardt grounded out to first bur the next batter reached base safely after a strikeout and wild pitch. The Eagles notched back-to-back-to-back singles to score two more runs and made it 4-1 on a run-scoring groundout.

The Buffs were limited to four hits, one each from Marello, Guzman, Spano and Salcedo.

Depending on results around the conference, the Buffs will grab the fourth or fifth seed in the AAC Tournament. Milligan's first game in the AAC Tournament will be next Wednesday at Hunter-Wright Stadium in Kingsport.