Milligan takes advantage of miscues to top Alice Lloyd
Published 11:26 pm Wednesday, February 16, 2022
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Photo Contributed Brandon Marello.
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CONTRIBUTED BY MILLIGAN ATHLETICS
MILLIGAN – The Milligan University baseball team took advantage of six Alice Lloyd errors to score six unearned runs as the Buffs downed the Eagles 8-7 in eight innings at Anglin Field on Tuesday afternoon.
The game was Milligan’s first game at Anglin Field in over two seasons as the Buffs moved to 10-3 on the season. Alice Lloyd fell to 0-5 on the year.
Garrett Bowman opened the game on the mound for the Buffs and posted back-to-back punchouts to open the game. After a two-out single, Cade Davis threw out Alice Lloyd’s runner trying to steal second to end the inning.
The Buffs took advantage of a pair of Alice Lloyd errors to plate four runs in the bottom of the first inning. After a Brandon Marello walk, Anthony Guzman doubled down the third base line to put runners on second and third. Back-to-back errors brought in three runs and a one-out sac fly by Augustus Fraley to score Braden Spano made it 4-0 Buffs in the first.
Alice Lloyd scored its first run in the top of the second on a two-out passed ball to trim Milligan’s lead to 4-1. Bowman got the next batter to bounce out to second to end the inning.
Colin Wagner notched a pair of strikeouts for the Buffs as he worked a scoreless third inning.
Milligan’s lead grew to 5-1 as Spano and Chancery Hall knocked back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the third. The Buffs’ lead became 6-1 in the bottom of fourth with Andrew Mathias scoring on another Eagle miscue.
Alice Lloyd struck back in the top of the fifth. The Eagles strung together a double, walk, RBI single and walk to load the bases with one out, trailing 6-2. A two-run single through the right side reduced the Buffs’ advantage to 6-4 and put the go-ahead run at the plate.
Reliever Brock Browning prevented any more damage as he induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Milligan added an insurance run in the home half of the fifth as Logan Hullette doubled in pinch-runner Gaven Jones in his first at-bat as a Buff to make it a 7-4 ballgame.
Browning struck out the side in the top of the sixth to preserve the Buffs’ three-run lead.
Consecutive singles by Marello and Guzman and a stolen base placed runners on second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth, but the Buffs were unable to bring either home.
Guzman made a diving catch in right-center field to rob a hit to open the seventh. Back-to-back full-count walks brought the game-tying run for Alice Lloyd to the dish. Another walk and back-to-back two-out RBI singles tied the game at seven.
After a lead-off single and successful sacrifice bunt for the Eagles in the eighth, Hall struck out the next two batters to end the half-inning.
Marello scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eight as Spano’s ground ball was thrown away by the Alice Lloyd third baseman to end the game.
Marello reached base safely five times as he was 2-2 with three walks and scored twice. Guzman went 2-4 with a double and a run. Spano doubled, walked, and scored twice.
Eight different pitchers took the mound for the Buffs. Bowman, Wagner, Deaglan Malally, and Browning each recorded scoreless appearances.
As a staff, Milligan racked up 14 strikeouts in the eight-inning contest. Milligan opens its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate against (RV) on Friday at Anglin Field.
