KINGSPORT, Tenn. (May 7, 2014) â€" In a game that seemed like it might never end, Corey McPherson provided the game-winning RBI, and Milligan College's baseball team finally found a way to defeat Point University, 10-7, Wednesday evening in the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament.
 
The two teams will square off one final time Thursday morning at 11 a.m. with the winner receiving a trip to the conference title game as well as a bid to the national tournament.
 
Milligan (25-26, 12-15 AAC) led three times in the ninth inning or later in Wednesday's contest at Hunter Wright Stadium as it wasn't until McPherson drove in Sam Tarlton from second on a two-out single in the 13th that Milligan broke the deadlock for good.
 
McPherson's base hit through the right side drew a throw home from Point right fielder Chad Helms, which allowed McPherson to take second and Luke Kirk to take third. That set up an Edwin Soto two-run single, some welcomed insurance, in the next at-bat.
 
Milligan controlled the lead in the 11th when Hunter Carpenter reached on a lead-off walk, and Logan Suggs, his pinch runner, came around to score on a wild pitch three batters later. Reliever Travis Tarleton issued the free pass with two out and in a situation where Point looked to be pitching around Kirk with first base open.
 
Point tied the game right back and had a golden opportunity to win it in the bottom of the 11th but failed to capitalize. The inning started with the first three reaching on base hits, Tarleton's latter of the three pushing Matt Hayes' lead-off double across to tie the game at seven. Point ended up loading the bases with one out later in the inning, but Corey Jenkins thwarted the danger with a strikeout and groundout.
 
Jenkins remained in the game to pitch the 12th and 13th and was the winning pitcher, improving to 3-0. The right-hander went 2 2/3 innings, striking out one with three hits, no walks, and no runs.
 
Starting pitcher Codie Campbell, in his seventh start of the season, lasted a season-long 7 1/3 innings and was in line for the win until a depleted Milligan relief staff watched the Skyhawks rally back from a 6-1, seventh-inning deficit.
 
Point scored twice in the seventh to make it a 6-3 game, then added one more in the eighth to make it 6-4. That set up a ninth inning where the Skyhawks scored two to force extra innings. They also left two stranded in the ninth.
 
Milligan set up its big lead in the fifth inning when five straight Buffaloes reached base with two out. Brandon Malone hit a two-run single to left field in that inning.
 
Milligan notched 13 hits from seven Buffaloes in the victory, including Soto who was 3-for-7 with three RBI's and a run. McPherson, Malone, Tyler Weir and Tarlton all finished with two hits.
 
The only run Milligan scored with less than two out came in the third inning when Kirk doubled home Tarlton to erase Point's early 1-0 lead. Kirk finished 1-for-4, bringing his career hits total to 271. Milligan's record, set by Scott Shealy in 2003, is 274.
 
If the Buffs beat Point in the rubber match on Thursday, they will advance to the championship game and face the winner of the Bryan-Tennessee Wesleyan matchup. Both teams that make it to the conference championship game earn an automatic bid to an NAIA regional.