Buffs Baseball Splits Getaway Day Doubleheader at CIU
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Milligan (TN)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
|
CIU (SC)
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Milligan (TN)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
|
CIU (SC)
|
0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 12 | 1 |
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Milligan University baseball team was looking to get the bad taste of Friday's run-rule loss out of their mouth in Saturday's Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) doubleheader against Columbia International University. It was not a perfect day for Milligan, who split a pair of hotly contested contests to fall 2-1 in the series.
The opener on Saturday was dominated by the Rams for the majority of the battle, as they began the scoring with three tallies in the bottom of the third. An RBI fielder's choice and a two-run single made it 3-0 early on.
Milligan would pick up a single run in the top of the sixth on a Cade Kalehuawehe double down the left-field line, which scored Trey Massengill.
A three-run bottom of the sixth from CIU consisted of a run-scoring single and a two-RBI knock to make it a daunting 6-1 deficit for the Buffaloes moving into the final third of the contest.
Landon Lutterman wasn't able to get all five runs back with one swing, but he did rope a grand slam to right field to cut the Rams' edge from 6-1 to 6-5 in the top of the eighth.
After the Buffs got their leadoff man on via a Tank Hansen single in the top of the ninth, Braxton Baird laid down a sacrifice bunt to put him at second with one out. Unfortunately, that's as far as he would go, as the Buffaloes fell 6-5 in game one.
The latter tilt included very little offense, as Columbia International nabbed the first run on a sac fly in the bottom of the third to lead 1-0.
Milligan took the lead in the frame, in the top of the fourth, with Angel Lobo driving in Nick Iezzi on a single to knot the score at 1-1. Later in the frame, Wyatt Heidle launched his first homer in his MU career, which would end up being the difference in a 3-1 Buffs win.
The team had just 10 combined hits on the day, having had five hits in all three games of the series over the weekend. Baird accounted for three of the 10 hits, while Kalehuawehe had two of them.
Spencer Rife allowed five runs in five-plus innings of work and took the loss in the opener. He was relieved by Jacob Poe for two frames, who allowed one run on five hits. Creed Werker pitched the final inning.
Jacob Bishop had a masterful outing on the bump to get back on the right track, allowing one run (zero earned) on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Austin Maxey came in to slam the door shut in the top of the seventh, striking out three hitters and walking one to earn his fourth save of the season.
The series ended in a much better way than it began, as the Buffs salvaged the final game before they head to No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College on Tuesday, Apr. 15 at 3 p.m. for a non-conference battle against a national powerhouse.