Buffs claim Union series with big win in finale

Recap, photo courtesy of Milligan College

MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 6, 2018) – Jeffrey Mefford struck out eight in his third complete game of the season to lead the Milligan College baseball team to a victory in the rubber game of an Appalachian Athletic Conference series versus Union College Friday afternoon at Anglin Field. After the Buffs won the opener Thursday night, the two teams split Friday's twin bill, Union taking game one 6-4 but Milligan bouncing back to take the finale 7-2.
 
Milligan improved to 14-20 (8-10 AAC) having now won four of the last five and six of the last eight games. This included wins in each of the two most recent series.
 
MEFFORD'S EFFORT | GAME TWO
Mefford scattered seven hits and two earned runs in the seven innings he pitched. Although he walked five, Mefford struck out eight and induced a couple of ground balls for double plays in key situations.
 
In the fifth inning of game two Mefford saw the first two reach base, but a 6-3 double play up the middle helped him get out of the jam. Similarly in the sixth, Union put two runners on with one out, but the junior got a 4-3 double play to end the threat.
 
MILLIGAN'S OFFENSE | GAME TWO
After Union worked to even the series at a game apiece, Milligan put together timely hitting to win the rubber game. Bryan Soto hit a two-out single in the bottom of the first which scored Cameron Harper who had reached on a bunt single. Soto's hit was followed by a two-out, two-RBI double from Chris Patterson which made it 3-0 two batters later.
 
Milligan scored three more runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Clayton Connergot the scoring going in the inning with a double to the right-center field gap which scored Hunter Suggs. Conner then came around to score on a Jascanel Ferreras single, and a Thomas Miller ground ball rounded out Milligan's scoring, making it 7-1.
 
LEADERS | GAME TWO
Ferreras recorded three hits in the win, going 3-for-4 with two RBI's. Conner also had a multihit game as he was 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI.
 
Mefford's final line as the winning pitcher was seven innings, seven hits, two earned runs, five walks and eight strikeouts. He improved to 4-3 with a team leading ERA of 3.03.
 
UNION'S FAST START | GAME ONE
Union opened the doubleheader on Friday by loading the bases in the top of the first inning. Although Harper, Milligan's starting pitcher, looked to get out of the inning with only one run of damage, a two-out single brought two more runs home to make it 3-0.
 
MILLIGAN'S RALLY BACK | GAME ONE
Milligan trailed 4-0 midway through the sixth inning but stormed back with a four-run sixth. Harper started the inning with a single, and Ferreras followed with a walk. Two batters later Soto drew a bases-loaded walk to score one, then Bailey Russell hit a sacrifice fly to score another.
 
Suggs and Miller had the biggest hits of the inning with run-scoring singles. Suggs' made it 4-3 and Miller's tied the game at 4-4 in a pinch hit at-bat.
 
UNION'S FINISH | GAME ONE
Union responded to Milligan's four-run sixth with a run in the ensuing inning, going ahead 5-4 and leading the rest of the way. The Bulldogs added another run in the top of the ninth off reliever Jacob Littleton to round out the scoring.
 
UP NEXT
Milligan heads to Kentucky Christian University for a nonconference doubleheader on Monday to start a 10-game road swing. The next time the Buffs are scheduled to be home is Friday, April 27, for the start of the final series of the regular season, a three-game set versus Tennessee Wesleyan University.