MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 4, 2015) â€" In some of the most exciting finishes of the year, the Milligan College baseball team defeated Bryan College in the final two games of their series 4-2 and 1-0 to sweep the series.
 
Not only did Milligan (17-9, 9-7 Appalachian Athletic Conference) gain three positions in the AAC standings, but the sweeping of conference opponent Bryan College (27-13, 8-8 AAC) held more weight considering that the Lions have been receiving votes in the national top 25 poll all season.
 
And it is no surprise, as the Lions notched 10 hits in game one, but Milligan's own Codie Campbell, who currently holds the lowest ERA (0.25) in the nation, forced Bryan to leave 12 runners on base by pulling through in each clutch situation.
 
After scoring a run off of an Andrew Urbistondo single early in the third to take the lead, the Lions threatened to extend it as they loaded the bases, but Campbell worked his way out by forcing a routine ground ball to end the inning.
 
The Lions left runners on in every inning, but it wasn't until the final inning of the game that another runner would find home.
 
With one out, Bryan loaded the bases once more, and a wild throw on a passed ball scored the Lions a rallying run. However, Jarrett Ramsay, who came in to relieve Campbell, ended the rally and the game by striking out the final two batters.
 
Unfortunately for the Lions, Milligan had already struck the finishing blow in the fifth by scoring four runs with the help of two Bryan errors.
 
Nick Loughry brought home the first run with a well-placed double down the right field line, and after a dropped third strike, Chavez Golden provided the distraction Loughry needed to score. Chaos ensued as the throw down to get Golden went high, and at the end of the play, Golden was standing on second.
 
Andrew Copas and Tyler Weir soon joined Golden on the bases, and when Soto sent a ball through the hole at second, Golden and Copas came home to round out the inning.
 
Game two was a pitcher's duel as Josh Peterson and Francisco Colin continued to send both teams back to the dugout empty-handed with minimal pitches. Neither pitcher threw more than 85 pitches in the game, with Peterson averaging only 11 pitches per inning.
 
It was in the bottom of the fourth when Milligan finally struck as Edwin Soto doubled to deep right-center, and once again Loughry pulled through by bringing home the go-ahead run with a single to left field.
 
Soto led the Buffs in hitting, going 1-for-3 in game one and 2-for-3 in game two,  while also notching two of the Buff RBIs on the day.
 
Milligan will travel north for their next two series, taking on the University of Rio Grande in Ohio on April 7 and No. 21 Point Park University in Pennsylvania on April 8. Both series will be doubleheaders, starting at 2 p.m. and 12 p.m. respectively.