MILLIGAN, Tenn.— The Montreat baseball team began a 3-game series with its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) rival, the Milligan University Buffaloes, Friday afternoon in Tennessee. In a 9-inning affair that lasted just one hour and 33 minutes, the Cavaliers fell on the wrong side of a 3-1 final. As a result, the Cavs' record moved to 11-12 (6-4 AAC) on the season.
Both pitchers controlled the game in the early going as
Case Jaworski and Milligan's starter combined for eight punchouts through two scoreless innings of work; however, the bats finally woke up in third, resulting in at least one run scored during the following three frames.
Milligan (12-9, 3-7 AAC) plated the game's initial three runs with one coming in the third inning and two more in the fourth. Following a leadoff single, an error coupled with two productive outs put the Buffaloes on top, 1-0. Then, during the ensuing inning, a 2-out walk paired with an RBI double and an RBI single pushed the Buffs edge up to 3-0.
Despite totaling two hits through four frames, the Cavaliers sent the minimum number of batters to the plate during that span because of a caught stealing and a double play. Montreat did finally break through in the fifth, however, as
Necumba Booker Jr. capped off a stretch of three consecutive 2-out singles to push across a run and pull Montreat within two (3-1).
After the fifth inning, both starting pitches settled back into their grooves, keeping the offenses off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Montreat had a chance to eliminate its deficit in the eighth thanks to
AJ Barrios' leadoff walk and Booker Jr.'s second single of the day, but a sacrifice bunt followed by a shallow flyout and groundout ended the Cavaliers' rally. In the end, a complete-game effort aided Milligan as it snagged a 3-1 AAC win.
"It was a well-played game today," said head coach
Jason Beck. "Milligan just executed one or two plays that we could not, and that was the difference."
Jaworski tossed a complete game, his second of the season, as well. The Highland, Mich. native retired the final 10 batters he faced to close out eight impressive innings on the mound. Jaworski also surrendered just three hits and two earned runs while striking out 10 batters. Meanwhile, Barrios (2-2) and Booker Jr. (2-3) led the Cavs offensively as the pair combined for four of the team's six hits. The Cavaliers outhit the Buffaloes, 6-3, in the defeat.
"Both pitchers were going at it and performed amazingly," Beck added. "I haven't been involved in many one-and-a-half hour 9-inning games in my time.
Case Jaworski left it all on the field."
The Montreat baseball team resumes its series at Milligan University with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon. First pitch of game one is slated for 1:00 p.m. in Milligan, Tenn.
