Baseball slugs past Johnson 13-2

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (February 20, 2024) – The Milligan University baseball team raced out to an early 10-0 lead and earned a 13-2 run-rule victory over Johnson (Tenn.) at Anglin Field on Tuesday evening.

The Buffs rise to 10-3 on the season and 9-1 at home. Johnson falls to 8-4. Despite the two teams being members of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) the contest did not count in the league standings.

Johnson began the game with back-to-back base hits but Milligan starter Gaven Jones retired the next three batters to close the half inning.

Milligan scored on a fielders' choice and a groundout to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Buffs scored five runs with two outs as Ryan Molinari and Jack Sutton had run-scoring singles and Andrew Mathias belted a three-run homer to push the Buffs' ahead 7-0.

Caleb Berry and Vasili Kaloudis launched solo home runs in the second and Angel Lobo had a two-out RBI single to extend Milligan's lead to 10-0.

The Royals had runners on first and second with nobody out in the fourth but reliever Joe Ducharme coaxed a double play and a groundout to keep the visitors off the scoreboard. Johnson scratched across a run in the fifth with a two-out double.

Berry drove in another run with a base hit and Jose Paula lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Buffs ahead 12-1 after five innings. Lobo ripped a solo home run to center field in the sixth to lead 13-1.

Johnson added a run on a groundout in the seventh but the Buffs took a run-rule victory with the final 13-2 margin.

Milligan had 10 players score and eight drive in at least one run in the contest. The Buffs hit four home runs and had four doubles. Lobo went 3-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Mathias had two hits, three RBI, two runs and a homer. Berry drove in two, scored one and went deep once. Kaloudis had a home run, two runs and two RBI.

Jones was the winning pitcher with three shutout innings. Ducharme allowed one earned run in three innings. Creed Werker had one unearned run in the seventh.

The Buffs open AAC play on Friday at Kentucky Christian.