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.

Clarke's Six RBIs Powers Bulldogs to Game One Win Against Bluefield

Recap, photo courtesy of TWU

Athens, TN- The baseball team returned to Athens Insurance Stadium this afternoon, less than 24 hours since the thrilling victory against #2 Georgia Gwinnett College. The receiving-votes Bulldogs welcomed the Bluefield College Rams, an Appalachian Athletic Conference foe, to Athens on Thursday for the opening of a three-game series which was originally set to begin on Friday.

The hangover from beating the second-ranked team reared its ugly head in the first inning as Tennessee Wesleyan gave up five runs to the visiting Rams. Dakota Phillips hit his eighth home run of the season in the second inning to make a minor cut into the deficit, starting a streak of seven-straight innings with a score for the Bulldogs.

With the offense warming up, a pitching change in the form of Carson Bach stabilized the defense for TWU. Tristan Clarke's two-run dinger with Tyler Halas on-base brought the Bulldogs within two runs and made the score 5-3.  The biggest damage came in the fourth inning, which started with a Phillips single. Mosley's fielder's choice forced Phillips out but kept a runner on first and Grant Lang used a walk to put runners on first and second. Sid Kumar gave Tennessee Wesleyan three home runs on the day with this three-run blast, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the day, 5-3. Two more runs came off Clarke's second home run of the day joining Malik Stephens crossing the plate to extend the lead to four runs, 7-3.

TWU added a run each in the fifth, off a Grant Lang homer, and in the sixth inning from Tyler Halas' run off a Collin Ridout single. Another four runs came for the Bulldogs in the seventh inning as Halas' scored a pinch-running Alfred Cruz off a single, Clarke scored Kumar and Halas off another single and Clarke scored on an opposing player's bobble. A second run from Cruz in the eighth along with a third run from Kumar gave Tennessee Wesleyan the amount of runs needed to end the game according to the mercy rule with a final score of 16-6.

Bach came in in the first and went 6.1 innings deep and only gave up two runs on one hit while striking out eight batters and surrendering no walks. Clarke finished the day 4-5 with two runs scored, two home runs and six RBIs. Kumar also aided the offense with three hits, three runs scored and four RBIs.

The Bulldogs (22-16, 11-5) are currently riding a five-game winning streak and looking to continue it in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday. The weather could play a factor in the start time but it is currently scheduled for 1:00 PM. Stay tuned to the athletic website and Tennessee Wesleyan Athletics' social media (@twbulldogs) for all the updates concerning start times.

Five-Run Eighth Helps Bulldogs Spring Upset of #2 Georgia Gwinnett

Recap, photo courtesy of Tennessee Wesleyan

Athens, TN- A tough schedule peaked once again for (RV) Tennessee Wesleyan (21-16, 10-5) on Wednesday when they were back on Jack Bowling Field. Sitting in the other dugout of Athens Insurance Stadium was the second-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies.

In a game where the teams combined for 31 hits on the day, runs did not start to roll in until the fourth inning. Georgia Gwinnett scored two runs to make it a deficit for the Bulldogs when they came to bat. Tristan Clarke began the inning with a single but was forced out on Collin Ridout's fielder's choice. The second out of the inning occurred before a Dakota Phillips single moved Ridout to third give the hope of scoring a run. Ridout scored on the next batter's, Braden Mosley, single to cut the deficit to one, making the score 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

A run in the fifth inning by the Grizzlies set up TWU's two-run sixth inning which tied the game 3-3. A double from Ridout was followed by a double by Phillips, scoring Ridout's second run of the game. Phillips' game-tying run came on a Grant Lang ground out after Mosley's second hit of the game moved Phillips to third, forcing the tie at the end of the inning.

The scoring continued for the Bulldogs, taking their first lead of the game in the seventh inning. Malik Stephens started the inning with a double to right field and advanced to third on a Tyler Halas bunt single. A sacrifice fly by Clarke pushed the go-ahead run in Stephens across home plate to make the score 4-3. It would not remain a one run lead for Tennessee Wesleyan though as Georgia Gwinnett scored a run in the top of the eighth inning to tie the score once again. But losing the lead did not hold the Bulldogs from making the march back to the top of the scoreboard.

A five-run inning started with a Mosley walk and was followed by a pinch-hitting Adrian Gonzalez's bunt single. A second consecutive bunt single by Chris Baetzel loaded the bases. The momentum stalled temporarily with the next two batters striking out. A Clarke single restored the drive for TWU to take the lead as Mosley scored to give the Bulldogs a 5-4 advantage. A hit by pitch for Ridout as the bases remained loaded scored Gonzalez to extend the lead to two. Aloysius Cruz come to the plate and hit a ball in the air which hit off the right fielder's glove as it came down, unloading the bases with pinch-runner Kyle Tunnell, Clarke and Ridout scoring to expand the lead to 9-4. Tennessee Wesleyan held on to win the game by a final score of 9-6.

Jack Granath pitched his way to nine strikeouts in seven innings of play, giving up just one earned run in the game. On the offensive side, the Bulldogs finished with 15 hits in the game, led by Ridout's 3-4 from the plate with three runs scored and a RBI.

Thursday sees the beginning of a three-game series, originally set to begin on Friday but moved up with the potential for torrid rain over the weekend, against Bluefield College. The matchup between the Appalachian Athletic Conference opponents in Athens Insurance Stadium is set for a single-game to begin at 3:00 PM.

Royals Baseball picks up 3 conference wins on the weekend

Recap, photo courtesy of Johnson University Tennessee

The Royals Baseball team took to the diamond over the weekend looking to gain momentum going into the month of April, and they did just that.  The defending Mid-East Regional Champions, Alice Lloyd College, traveled to Knoxville for a weekend series that included four games.  

Game 1 Recap - The Royals pushed two runs across in the first inning when Chandler Viscardis (SO/Knoxville, TN) lead off with a double to left field.  He would then score on a triple from Riely Cooper (SO/Powell, TN).  Dalton Pruitt (SO/Danville, VA) would then follow with a double to score Cooper and give the Royals the early advantage.  Alice Lloyd would counter with three runs of their own in the second inning, and score a pair of runs in the seventh inning.  The Royals would threaten in their half of the seventh inning but couldn't capitalize and fell to the Eagles, 3-5.   

Game 2 Recap - Senior, Max McCoig (SR/Knoxville, TN) got the start for the Royals as he would again prove to go the distance against conference foe for the second time in as many weeks.  The Royals and Eagles would go back-and-forth in the first two innings, each scoring a run in their respective half of the inning.  Chandler Viscardis and Jonathan Howard (SR/Oconee, GA) each reached on a hit, when Chase Burke (SR/Ringgold, GA) would ground into a fielder's choice to plate Viscardis.  In the second inning, Timothy Howard (SO/Oconee, GA) reached on a double and Josh Stahlman (FR/Summerville, PA) reached with a base hit to score Howard.  The Royals would open up the game in the fourth inning.  Timothy Howard reached with a base hit, when Jonathan Howard would later score him on a base hit of his own. Chase White (SR/Whitwell, TN) would push a run across with an RBI hit, and a pair of errors and walks would help the Royals to a six run inning and eventually win with a final score of 8-4.  McCoig picked up the win as he allowed six hits and four runs over seven innings, striking out four.

Game 3 Recap - Both the Royals and the Eagles would come out swinging in the third game of series.  It wasn't until the third inning when the Royals offense would score.  Chase White would get things going when he scored a pair of runs on his second triple of the game.  Dalton Pruitt would later score White with a base hit to give the Royals the lead.  In the fourth inning, the Royals scored early when Luke Shepherd (JR/Knoxville, TN) connected with a two-run homer to right field.  A pair of walks would also plate two more runs for the Royals as they led 7-4.  Chandler Viscardis would score two runs for the Royals with a base hit and the bases loaded and Riely Cooper would follow with a base hit of his own to plate another run, and the Royals eventually held their lead to pick up their second win, 12-10.

Game 4 Recap - The Eagles held an early lead until the fourth inning when Jonathan Howard and Timothy Howard would both reach base to start the inning.  Luke Shepherd would score Jonathan Howard on a base hit, and Chandler Viscardis would plate another run on a base hit of his own.  In the fifth inning, Jonathan Howard would again reach base and advance to second on a sacrifice bunt by Timothy Howard.  Luke Shepherd scored Jonathan Howard with another base hit.  With runners on, Riely Cooper would triple to score a pair of runs for the Royals.  The Eagles would battle back as the Royals defense struggled in the seventh inning, and eventually tied the game at 9-9 leading into the bottom half of the inning.  With no outs, Chase White would load the bases with a hit to centerfield, when Chase Burke would score the winning run on a sacrifice fly to centerfield to walk it off for the Royals. 

Bulldogs Outscore Montreat 23-6 Over Three Games to Win Weekend Series

Recap, photo courtesy of TWU

Black Mountain, NC- The baseball team was back on the road this past weekend. After a non-conference doubleheader last Tuesday, the team jumped back into Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play, opening a three-game series against the Montreat College Cavaliers.

Game 1 (Friday)

On Friday, the Bulldogs used a big first inning to take control of the single nine inning game. Tyler Halas opened up the game with a single to left. With the next batter striking out, Collin Ridout took the first pitch thrown to him and sent it over center field to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. The third run of the inning came from Dakota Phillips who, after hitting a double in his at-bat, crossed home plate on Braden Mosley's single. A wild throw moved Mosley around the bases, landing on third before the second homer of the inning from Grant Lang gave TWU a 5-0 lead.

Aloysius Cruz's double moved Ridout to third base in the third inning with the Bulldogs looking to strike again on the scoreboard. A two-RBI double by Phillips scored Ridout and Cruz to make the score 7-0. With Mosley on first off his batted ball which caused an error, Malik Stephens sent a ball to right field, scoring Phillips for run number eight and moving Mosley to third as Stephens moved to second on the throw from his hit. A double to left by Halas gave Tennessee Wesleyan a double-digit lead, with the team leading 10-0 at the conclusion of the third inning. In the fifth inning, Addison Adams used a single to reach base and eventually scored off a Ridout batted ball to give the team an 11-0 lead. Four runs after the fifth inning from the Cavaliers were not enough to stop TWU from walking off the field with the first win.

Halas went 4-6 from the plate with two RBIs in the game. Ridout led in the RBI category with three,

Tennessee Edged by South Carolina, 6-3

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Tennessee was edged by South Carolina, 6-3, in the final game of the series at Founders Park on Saturday.

With the loss, the Volunteers are now 17-12 overall and hold a 4-5 record in conference play while the Gamecocks are 17-11 on the season and own a 4-5 SEC record.

South Carolina scored the first run of the game in the third inning, using two hits and a Carlos Cortes sacrifice fly to go up 1-0.

In the top of the fourth, Tennessee scored three runs to take its first lead of the series. Sophomores Justin Ammons and Jay Charleston led off the frame with back-to-back walks. Andre Lipcius then knocked a two-RBI double down the left field line. Two at-bats later, designated hitter Evan Russell drove in Lipcius with a single to center, giving UT a 3-1 advantage.

The Gamecocks trimmed Tennessee's lead in the sixth, plating one run on two hits, a sacrifice bunt and infield groundout.

Threatening in the seventh, UT loaded the bases on two hits and a walk with two outs, but a strikeout ended the inning before the Big Orange could plate a run.

South Carolina scored the tying run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk before right-handed reliever Zach Linginfelter caught Hunter Taylor looking for the final out of the frame.

In the eighth inning, South Carolina took a permanent 6-3 lead. The Gamecocks used two RBI doubles to add the final three runs of the game to the board.

On the mound, starter Will Neely worked 5.1 innings in the no-decision. The junior allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out five batters before handing the ball over to the bullpen.

Linginfelter faced two batters to finish the sixth frame and went on to toss 2.0 complete innings. Charged with the loss, he gave up three runs on three hits and struck out three. Freshman Chase Wallace and sophomore Andrew Schultz each threw 0.1 innings to close the game. In the eighth, Wallace allowed one run on one hit before Schultz came in to strike out the final batter faced.

Ammons Stands Out vs. South Carolina
Sophomore Justin Ammons led the Volunteers at the plate during the South Carolina series, batting .333 (3-for-9) with three runs scored. The right fielder also drew four walks and advanced to first on two errors to reach base a total of nine times throughout the three games.

Up Next
The Vols welcome the Belmont Bruins to Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Tuesday, April 3 for a 6:30 p.m. ET midweek contest that will be aired on SEC Network + (WatchESPN). John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara will have the call on Sports Radio WNML (FM 99.1/AM 990) and UTSports.com.

Vols Sweep Doubleheader to Complete Series Sweep over Alabama

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –  Tennessee took both games of its Sunday doubleheader against rival Alabama to complete its first SEC series sweep since 2013 against Mississippi State.

The Volunteers received two complete-game performances from Garrett Stallings and Will Neely to improve to 16-9 overall and 4-2 in SEC play this season, which is the team's best start to conference play since also going 4-2 over the first six league games in 2008.

Both of Sunday's games will limited to seven innings. Recaps from each game can be found below.
 
Game 1: UT 2, Alabama 1
A complete-game performance from Garrett Stallings and another game-winning RBI walk for Evan Russell led Tennessee to a 2-1 comeback victory over Alabama in game one of Sunday's doubleheader at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

In a shortened seven-inning game, the Crimson Tide took a 1-0 lead in the fifth before the Vols rallied to score twice in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the win to secure the series victory.

Stallings got his sixth start of the year for UT and went all seven innings to record his second complete game of the season. The sophomore right hander allowed just one unearned run on six hits and gave up just two hits after the second inning.

The Crimson Tide took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Vols to open the scoring in the top of the fifth to score its only run of the game.

With two outs and a runner on first, Alabama's Keith Holcombe hit a ground ball to the grass in right field that was fielded by Jay Charleston, who opted to throw to third to try and get the lead runner. Charleston's throw sailed high and went out of play, allowing pinch runner Connor Stutts to score and give the Tide a 1-0 lead.

After UT tied the game on a ground ball earlier in the inning, Russell was the hero yet again as he drove in the game-winning run with a bases-loaded walk for the second straight game. Stallings worked around a leadoff single in the seventh to secure the win and improve to 4-1 on the year.  
 
Game 2: UT 3, Alabama 0
Junior pitcher Will Neely threw a complete-game shutout in game two of Sunday's doubleheader to lead the Vols to a 3-0 win and a series sweep over the Crimson Tide.

The series sweep is the first in SEC play for Tennessee since May of 2015, when the Vols swept Mississippi State to wrap up the regular season.

For Neely, it was the second complete-game of the season and the first complete-game shutout of his career. The Knoxville native allowed just five hits and struck out four to improve to 3-1 on the year.

Andre Lipcius went 2-for-3 and scored a run while Benito Santiago and Justin Ammons both drove in runs with RBI singles to lead the offense.

The Big Orange jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the first when Santiago drove in Jay Charleston with a single up the middle. Lipcius came all the way around from first to score on the play after the ball got under Joe Breaux's glove and rolled all the way to the wall in center field.

UT added an extra insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Ammons singled to right field to score Russell and put the Vols ahead 3-0 heading into the final inning.   

Neely retired the Tide in order in the seventh, striking out Keith Holcombe swinging to finish the game.

Notables
Walk It Out      
Vols' freshman Evan Russell drove in the game-winning runs in Friday's series opener and the first game of today's doubleheader, both via bases-loaded walks.

Going the Distance
With two more complete games today, Tennessee's starting pitchers have now thrown five already this year, which is the most in a single season since VFL Zack Godley threw all six for the Vols back in 2013.
Both Garrett Stallings and Will Neely have now thrown two complete games this season. Neither had ever thrown one entering this year.

Spring Cleaning
With today's two victories, the Vols recorded their first series sweep in SEC play since 2015, when they swept Mississippi State in the final series of the regular season. The Vols have now swept two opponents this year – Cincinnati being the other – marking the first time they have had a least two three-game series sweeps in a season since 2014.

Next Up
The Vols will play four games on the road next week starting with a midweek contest at Western Carolina on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET, followed by three games at South Carolina on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.