Offense erupts for (RV) Baseball in AAC win over CIU

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 12, 2024) - Under the lights on Friday night, the (RV) Milligan baseball team took center stage and delivered an excellent performance against the Rams of Columbia International University (S.C.). The Buffaloes tallied 18 runs in the 18-8 seven-inning, run-rule victory over CIU.

Milligan improves their stock to 25-14 overall and 13-9 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) with the dominant triumph

The final two games of the AAC series will be played Saturday, with game one starting at 1 p.m.

After Joe Ducharme delivered a zero for the Buffs on the mound in the top of the first, the Milligan offense began its barrage on CIU pitching, scratching across four runs in the opening frame with the bats. Following a lead-off single by Angel Lobo, Caleb Berry delivered an RBI triple to get the scoring started. Then, Jose Paula grounded out to the shortstop to send Berry across the plate. Later in the inning, with Vasili Kaloudis and Gaven Jones aboard, Ryan Molinari ripped a double to the right-center gap which scored both baserunners. All told, the Buffaloes scored four runs to take a commanding early lead.

With single runs in both the top of the second and the top of the third, the Rams had cut the deficit to 4-2 entering the last half of the third. The Milligan bats returned to form in the frame, as Caleb Kalehuawehe delivered a two-run single, scoring both Kaloudis and Molinari. After two walks, the bases became loaded for Paula, who worked a walk to force home the final run of the inning for the Buffs in the form of Kalehuawehe. After three full, it was a 7-2 lead for the good guys.

Columbia International would stay pesky in the early stages, as they put up a three-spot in the top of the fourth to make it just a 7-5 Milligan lead, followed by a scoreless half for the Buffaloes. Then, however, it was a prolific bottom of the fifth for MU after CIU failed to add on in the top of the fifth. Five total runs crossed the dish for the Buffs in the bottom of the fifth, as three hit-by-pitches, three hits and a fielding error supplied Milligan a seven-run advantage. With two runners on base to start the inning, Lobo, Paula and Braden Spano were plunked by pitches as three of the next four hitters. Paula and Spano received RBIs for their efforts. Kaloudis would then rip an RBI single to left, and Molinari secured a run-batted-in on a fielder's choice. After five, it was a 12-5 lead for the Buffaloes.

After the Rams grabbed a run on a solo homer, the Buffs continued their onslaught with four runs in the bottom half of the sixth. Two RBI singles from Berry and Jones, along with a run scored by Berry on a passed ball and an RBI groundout from Kaloudis, made it 16-6 entering the seventh.

Though Milligan could not hold the Rams off the board in the top of the seventh, as CIU scored a pair of runs to make it 16-8, they did end up getting both runs back in the bottom of the seventh on a fielding error by Columbia International. The tallies made it 18-8 in the seventh, ending the game with a run-rule win for the Buffaloes.