MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (March 28, 2015) -- This weekend was loaded with late-inning rallies for the Milligan College baseball team, and in Saturday's series finale, the Buffs erased a four-run deficit to Point University to avoid a series sweep with a 5-4 win.
 
Milligan (14-9, 6-7 AAC) lost the series as Point (15-20, 7-8 AAC) clinched it with an 8-4 victory in game one of the doubleheader.
 
Senior Josh Peterson tossed a complete game in the nightcap despite struggling with his command in the first inning. He started the game with three straight walks to load the bases, then surrendered a single, wild pitch, walk and another single, all scoring runs, as Point looked to put the game away early.
 
From that point, however, Peterson would settle down and face only two over the minimum over the next four frames. A big strikeout to end the top of the fourth ignited a rally where the Buffs tied the game with four runs in their half and took the lead with one more in the fifth.
 
Shane Salley was instrumental in both scoring innings for Milligan. He started off the fourth inning with a single up the middle and came around to score on a Sam Tarlton RBI. In the next inning, Salley reached on an error, stole second, then scored the deciding run on Tarlton's single up the middle.
 
Peterson ran into trouble again in the sixth but dug deep to escape without any damage and the lead intact. Point led the inning off with a walk and followed with a one-out infield single to put the tying run in scoring position. An error later, and the Skyhawks had the bases loaded with one out, but the senior right-hander fanned Point leadoff man Johnnie Eaton before inducing a soft pop fly in foul territory to Trey Chambers, ending the inning.
 
Peterson again allowed a pair of base runners in the seventh but utilized the double play ball and his fourth strikeout to end the game.
 
Tarlton finished game two 1-for-2 with two RBI's and a run scored. Salley was 1-for-3 with two runs.
 
Game one of the doubleheader featured a Milligan rally similar to the one at the end of Friday's series opener. The Buffs faced an 8-1 deficit with one on and two out in the seventh before base hits by Edwin Soto, Brandon Malone and Peterson made it an 8-4 game. Friday night, Peterson drove in a run that put the tying run on deck in the last inning of a 5-2 game, but the Buffs were too little, too late in both contests.
 
Codie Campbell suffered the loss despite another exceptional start where he kept the Skyhawks scoreless over the first four innings and only allowed a run via a Milligan error.
 
Milligan had the early lead, scoring in the second inning on a Nate Clifton opposite field single to plate Tarlton. Tarlton was in scoring position on the play after smacking a one-out double off the top of the wall in right-center earlier in the inning.
 
Tarlton was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run in game one, and three others had multiple hits. Soto led the way with three hits, while Malone and Peterson each had two.
 
Milligan continues the season next Friday and Saturday with a three-game Appalachian Athletic Conference series against Bryan. Friday will feature a 6 p.m. single game. Saturday is set for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.