MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (Feb. 21, 2017) â€" Milligan College's baseball team came up on the short end of an 11-7 decision to No. 14 Campbellsville University Tuesday afternoon on Anglin Baseball Field.
 
Milligan (5-6), which had won its last two games and five of its last seven, jumped out on top early with a run in the first inning but a five-spot in the third from Campbellsville proved to be about the difference. Campbellsville, which ranks No. 14 in this year's NAIA preseason coaches' poll, won its fourth straight game to improve to 7-2 on the season.
 
Clayton Conner finished with two hits for the Buffs, one of which put them on top with two out in the bottom of the first. After Jascanel Ferreras doubled to deep left-center field, Conner drove him in with a single to center to make it 1-0. That was the only offense for Milligan over the first six innings and Campbellsville, starting with the big third inning, eventually went on top 10-1.
 
Milligan started to rally in the bottom of the seventh when Conner scored on Juan Vasquez's sacrifice fly to center, Chris Patterson scored on a wild pitch, and Julian Johnson scored on a base hit by Bryan Soto. It made it 10-4, and the Buffs would get even closer in the ninth when Juan Vasquez took one deep for a solo shot and Milligan added two more runs in the inning to make it 11-7.
 
Freshman Nathan Atkinson got the start on the bump but suffered the loss. He went 4.1 innings and was relieved by Wyatt Richardson, Jackson Arnold, Hunter Townsend and Dustin Cole who all got work out of the bullpen.
 
Offensively, Conner and Ryan Young led the Buffs with two hits apiece. Vasquez had two RBI's, and Ferreras had two runs scored.
 
Next up, Milligan will hit the road for Middle Georgia State University for a three-game series on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25. The next home game for the Buffs is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 28, against Shawnee State. The two teams will play at doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.