KINGSPORT, Tenn. (May 10, 2016) â€" In a game that featured a combined seven hit by pitches, three errors and two wild pitches, it was a grand slam by Justin Pearson in the bottom of the fifth that pushed the seventh-seeded Milligan College baseball team to a 10-4 victory over sixth-seeded Truett-McConnell College during day two of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Tuesday morning at Hunter Wright Stadium.

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, a walk to Blake Dutton, a knock to right by Andrew Copas and the second walk of the game for Shane Salley loaded the bases with only one out for Milligan (22-30). The Buffs then used an RBI single to left by Bryan Soto to bring the margin to one, setting up the long ball to left by Pearson, his second home run of the season, to make it 7-4.

After Milligan took the lead for good in the fifth, Dustin Cole shut down the Bears' offense the rest of the way with no hits and no walks through the final four innings. Cole earned the victory and kept his perfect record intact at 4-0, finishing with a stat line of only one hit, no runs, no walks and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

Pearson played a role in getting the Buffs on the board early as in the bottom of the second, he led off with a hit by pitch and was followed by a single to short from Thomas Miller, which resulted in a wild throw by the shortstop and another wild throw by the first baseman to score two runs and give Milligan its first lead of the tournament. The wide throw by the Bears' shortstop advanced Pearson to third before the throw by the first baseman attempting to cut down Pearson at home went into the Buffs' dugout to bring Miller all the way around.

The Buffs would load the bases in three separate innings on Tuesday, however, after Milligan stranded three runners in the bottom of the third after Hunter Suggs, Salley and Soto each drew a walk, the Bears re-took the lead with a two-out, two-RBI hit in the top of the fourth. A leadoff hit by pitch and bunt single in the top of the fifth then led to another two-out run for Truett to make it 4-2.

The Buffs' final three tallies of the game came in the eighth as Hunter Townsend led off with a deep double to left-center and Suggs and Dutton both walked to load the bags yet again. All three runners would score as Copas brought in two with a hit to right-center and Salley earned an RBI on a hit to second.

Pearson led the way for Milligan with two runs scored and four RBI's, and Copas and Soto each chipped in with multiple hits as Copas went 2-for-5 with two RBI's and a run and Soto was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run. Lastly, three Buffs, Dutton, Salley and Suggs, each drew two walks.

In the end, the Buffs finished with 10 runs on eight hits and eight walks, while the combination of Codie Campbell, Wyatt Richardson and Cole on the mound limited the Bears to seven hits, only two walks, and a combined 10 strikeouts.

Next up, Milligan will square off against either No. 21 and second-seeded Bryan College or third-seeded Point University at 9 a.m., on Wednesday, May 11. With a win Wednesday morning, the Buffs would play the winner between Bryan and Point at 4 p.m., with a berth to the final day of the AAC tournament on the line.