Buffs Baseball Returns to Win Column with Midweek Conquest of WVU Tech

BECKLEY, W.Va. – The Milligan University baseball season continued on Wednesday with a road contest in Beckley, W.Va. against the Golden Bears of WVU Tech. The non-conference bout would end in an eventual two-run victory for the Buffaloes, as they toppled WVU Tech, 8-6.

Milligan was held off the board in the top of the first inning, and the Golden Bears took full advantage in the bottom half, scoring twice on a pair of RBI singles to take an early 2-0 lead.

In the top of the third inning, the Buffs were able to knot up the tally at 2-2 after a run-scoring double down the left-field line by Brody Melton to score Braxton Baird. Then, Nick Iezzi delivered a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home Cade Kalehuawehe.

The top of the fourth brought another runner across the plate for Milligan, as Jack Sutton scored via a wild pitch with the bases loaded, making it 3-2. Following that, a walk by Melton with the pillows full sent home Wyatt Heidle to put the score at 4-2 in the Buffs' favor.

WVU Tech would soon respond by tying the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth frame. They scored a run on a double play and then nabbed their second of the stanza on an RBI triple to center.

Milligan's most boisterous inning on offense came in the seventh, as they were able to break the 4-4 tie in style. A triple to right by Melton scored Kalehuawehe to give MU the lead, and Iezzi added on a run-scoring double to center to bring Melton in. Trey Massengill pinch hit and supplied a double to left to score Iezzi, and Heidle secured an infield single to chase home Josh Lail, making it 8-4 with two-and-a-half frames to play.

The Golden Bears would not go down lightly, as they got one back in the bottom of the seventh on a run-scoring single and would add one final tally in the ninth on an RBI double to right field. That would be all, however, as the Buffs escaped West Virginia with an 8-6 midweek victory.

As a squad, Milligan leaned on the bats of Iezzi (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R), Melton (2-for-4, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, R) and Heidle (2-for-5, RBI, R) in this one, as the three of them combined for seven of the team's nine hits. Massengill and Baird had the team's other two knocks in the triumph.

It was a staff-wide effort for Milligan pitching, as they sent a total of eight pitchers to the slab in the battle. Brycen Denton allowed two earned runs on four hits over the first two innings of the game and was relieved by Cainan Meyers, who tossed one inning of one-hit ball with a strikeout. Kaden Wise was next, as he afforded WVU Tech two runs on one hit and a pair of walks with a strikeout. Nate Walters took the next turn, tossing one frame of scoreless work, before turning the ball over to Conner Hendrix for a hitless inning. Hendrix was the eventual winning pitcher, as T.J. Kuhn gave up one run but struck out two in the seventh, and Ty Koch finished a scoreless eighth while walking two batters. Creed Werker earned the save, though he allowed a run in the ninth, which was his second save of the season.

After what was a good tune-up for the Buffaloes, they now look forward to a highly anticipated weekend Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series against the No. 2-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs on the road in Athens, Tenn. on Mar. 28-29. The single nine-inning tilt on Friday is set for a 3 p.m. start.