Buffs Baseball Suffers Loss via Late Rally from No. 5 Cumberlands

WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. — Milligan University's (RV) baseball team battled the No. 5-ranked University of the Cumberlands Patriots on the road for the first time this year, having played them in tight losses twice on the Buffs' home turf. This iteration would be much the same, as the Buffaloes held a two-run lead in the eighth, but ended up falling in the ninth to the national powerhouse.

Milligan had a nice start to the contest, as they scored a trio of runs in the top of the second. Nick Iezzi whacked a solo homer to right field to start, and was followed by a two-run single to right field by Braxton Baird. Gaven Jones and Josh Lail scored on the play. The Patriots did score once in the bottom of the second on a double play to make it 3-1.

The top of the fourth inning resulted in another run for the Buffaloes, as Cade Kalehuawehe ripped an RBI single to center, scoring Baird to make it 4-1.

Cumberlands scored twice in the bottom of the fifth, cracking an RBI double and a sacrifice fly to make it just a 4-3 Milligan edge. 

They tied the contest in the seventh on an RBI single to center, making it 4-4.

Milligan quickly added two runs of their own in the top of the eighth, as they had a solo blast from Brody Melton and a run-scoring double by Kalehuawehe to score Andrew Beavers, putting MU ahead of UC by a 6-4 tally. 

The Patriots overwhelmed the Buffs in the bottom of the eighth, as they scored five times to take a commanding 9-6 lead. Two RBI singles, a two-run single and an RBI double put them in front. The Buffaloes were unable to respond in the ninth, falling by that score.

A total of 11 hits were tallied by Milligan, as Kalehuawehe (2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI), Iezzi (2-for-5, HR, RBI, R, SB) and Lail (2-for-4, R, SB) each had multiple knocks. 

Patrick Collins started the game on the bump, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits across four frames. He was relieved by Wesley Babcock, who hurled 2.2 innings and gave up just one run on three hits with a trio of punchouts. Creed Werker was saddled with the loss, allowing three runs on two hits in 0.2 innings, albeit with two strikeouts. Austin Maxey finished the game by allowing two runs on three hits and also finished 0.2 frames with a strikeout.

Milligan's overall record now falls to 17-11, after they dropped another tight one to the Patriots, their third such loss by three runs or fewer to UC this season (4-2, 3-2, 9-6). Next up is a home Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) set against St. Andrews on Anglin Field. The Buffaloes host the Knights starting with a single nine-inning game on Friday, Mar. 21 at 4 p.m.