(RV) Baseball nabs two walk-off victories against CIU

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 13, 2024) - Following Friday night's offensive onslaught by the (RV) Milligan baseball squad, a pair of hard-fought, single-run triumphs were achieved in walk-off fashion over the Columbia International University (S.C.) Rams at Anglin Field on Saturday.

Game one featured bonus baseball, as Milligan came through with an 8-7 win in 10 innings, while the latter seven-inning tussle ended with a 3-2 Buffs win on a run scored in the bottom of the seventh.

The Buffaloes move up to 27-14 overall and 15-9 in the AAC following the exciting victories and are now riding a five-game winning streak.

A midweek non-conference matchup is next for the Buffs, as they take on Cumberland University (Tenn.) at Anglin Field on Tuesday, April 16 at 3 p.m.

Game 1 - Milligan 8, Columbia International 7 - 10 Innings

The first of the two games on Saturday was a seesaw affair, in which Milligan scored five unanswered runs over the opening three frames. In the bottom of the first, Caleb Berry tripled home Angel Lobo, and Braden Spanodrove him home with an RBI groundout. Then, in the second, Jose Paula and Jack Sutton each had run-scoring singles. Sutton would cash in again in the third with an RBI single to make it 5-0. 

A massive momentum shift occurred in the top of the fourth, as CIU scored seven times in the frame to take a two-run lead. Ten total hitters came to the plate in the inning for the Rams, with a three-run homer when it was still a 5-4 Milligan lead being the major difference. 

The 7-5 score would last until the bottom of the seventh when a balk with runners at first and third allowed Ryan Molinari to come home from third base. Roangeraud Fraai would advance to second on that balk and went to third on a wild pitch. He was then driven in by a Lobo groundout to make it a 7-7 tie.

After quiet eighth and ninth innings, CIU was retired in order in the top of the tenth. The Buffs started the bottom of the inning at the top of their lineup, where Lobo notched an infield single and subsequently stole second base. After an intentional walk to Berry, Paula became the hero, ripping a walk-off single to left field. Lobo scored the game-winning run, sealing the 8-7 victory in the tenth.

Milligan had 16 total hits in the triumph, with five players achieving multi-hit performances (Lobo (3-for-5, RBI, SB), Berry (2-for-4, 3B, RBI), Paula (4-for-6, 2 RBI), Molinari (3-for-4, 2B), and Sutton (3-for-4, 2 RBI).

Game 2 - Milligan 3, Columbia International 2

Following up a walk-off win in the first game of a doubleheader is a tough task, as Columbia International showed the Buffaloes early on. Two early tallies from the Rams on a single to center field made it 2-0 in the top of the first.

Over the first four innings of the contest, Milligan was held hitless, as they had fallen flat offensively after the exciting events at the conclusion of game one. The fifth inning produced not only the first hit of the game for the Buffs but the first run, as well. A Sutton single to left field drove in Fraai to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.

Just an inning later, a pair of hits by the Milligan bats equaled another tally for the scoreboard. Paula started things with a single to center, and Vasili Kaloudis capped them off with a run-scoring double. The score was knotted up at 2-2 entering the bout's final frame.

Excellent pitching to hold CIU to nothing in the top of the seventh gave Milligan a chance for back-to-back walk-off wins. Molinari started the bottom of the seventh with a bang, as he doubled to immediately put a runner in scoring position. Then, a bunt moved him up to third base, setting up Josh Lail with an opportunity to pinch-hit with the game on the line. He cashed in, driving a single into center to bring in Molinari as the game's winning run.

Ian Weil (5.0 IP, 6H, 2ER, 3K, BB) and Jacob Bishop (2.0 IP, H, 4K, BB) combined to pitch the totality of the battle for Milligan, as they were both wildly impressive. Bishop was credited with his third win of the campaign.

Only six hits were tallied by the Buffs in the second tilt, though that's all Milligan needed to pull off a three-game series sweep over Columbia International on Saturday.