Back-to-Back Blasts, Geren's 10 Strikeouts Help Propel Milligan Baseball Past St. Andrews

MILLIGAN, Tenn. - The Milligan University Baseball team played a low-scoring contest on Friday afternoon to open up their Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series against St. Andrews University on Anglin Field. In a battle that the Buffs did not lead until the eighth inning, they came out with a tight 4-2 victory, thanks in large part to back-to-back homers in that fated frame.

The very first frame of the contest brought negative results for the Buffaloes, as a single and subsequent two-run homer to left field put St. Andrews up 2-0 after the top of the first.

Milligan had runners on base via walks and a hit-by-pitch, periodically, but they did not achieve their first base hit until a Cade Kalehuawehe bunt single in the bottom of the fifth. That same inning, the Buffs would score their first run on an RBI groundout by Nick Iezzi to bring home Reagan Smith, making it 2-1 for the Knights after five.

One more tally would come across for Milligan in the sixth, as Brody Melton began the frame with a single to left, which was followed by a pair of misplayed bunts by the Knights. That loaded the bases with no outs, as Smith took advantage and skied a sacrifice fly to left center field to bring home Melton, which tied things at 2-2. Nothing else would occur in the frame for the Buffaloes.

After a harmless seventh by both sides and a quiet eighth for the Knights, Milligan had their biggest output of the evening. Melton and Tank Hansen would deliver back-to-back jacks to opposite foul lines, as Melton hooked a towering shot down the left-field line and Hansen pushed a high fly down the right-field line to give MU a 4-2 advantage with just an inning remaining.

St. Andrews did get the tying run to the plate for two opportunities to tie the contest, but they ultimately fell short in the 4-2 Milligan triumph.

Melton was the team's lightning rod in this one, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a solo homer. The team's other two hits came from Kalehuawehe and Hansen, as the latter delivered the other solo bomb in the eighth. Iezzi and Smith were responsible for the other two runs batted in.

It is a shame that Canyon Geren was unable to earn the win, as he was downright masterful sans one homer allowed. He gave up just three hits and walked three batters while striking out 10 in 7.1 innings pitched. Jacob Poe took the win, improving his season record to 2-3 out of the bullpen. He tossed 0.2 innings and allowed a hit and a walk, but no runs. Austin Maxey was credited with his third save of the season after a scoreless ninth frame, in which he allowed a single hit.

Two more contests against the Knights are on tap tomorrow, Mar. 22, starting at noon. The Buffs will be gunning for the AAC sweep on their home turf.